PokeFalls: Hoenn
by CrimsonKyuubiSage
Summary: Naruto and Natsumi Uzumaki 15-year-old twins that have just begun their Pokemon adventure. But things are not what they seem in this region. It's up to the twins to figure out this mystery. But how can they if solving the mystery only leads to even bigger mysteries? And what does this strange book have to do with anything? Rated M for Violence, Mature Themes, Possible Lemons
1. Chapter 1 - The Adventure Begins!

**AN: I was doing my daily scroll through again, and I found quite a few interesting stories that inspired this one. I can't list them all off the top of my head. So... enjoy!**

Chapter Start

 **-Verdanturf Town-**

The sun was barely peaking above the horizon, a few Taillows and Swellows flew high in the sky, morning dew still dripped from the grass to the earth below. Everything seemed so-

"WAKE UP NARUTO~!"

"Gah! *Crash*!"

-calm... A mop of blond hair peaked out of the tangled mess of blankets thrashing about on the wooden floor. Standing over the flailing cloth was a bubbly teenage girl that stood at 5'4" with long flowing vibrant red hair that went halfway down her back, slightly tanned skin, and cerulean blue eyes that held not-so-subtle mischief.

"Haha sucker!" the red haired girl exclaimed.  
"Arceus dammit! What the fuck, Natsumi?!" the blanket was pushed aside, revealing Naruto, a teenage boy around the same age as the redhead. His sun-kissed blond hair seemed to be naturally spiky, giving him a rugged handsome appeal. In contrast to his near yellow hair, he had near unnoticeable bags underneath his cold and calculating royal purple eyes, and slightly pale, yet still tanned skin.

"Don't you remember, silly?" the red haired girl questioned, grinning ear to ear as she spoke. "Today's the day we begin our adventure!"

"*Yawn* What time is it?" Naruto asked, rubbing the crust out of his eyes and grabbing his alarm clock.

"Six o'clock!" Natsumi said, her voice still enthusiastic as ever.

"Vul Vulpix Vul!" Natsumi turned to the stripped bed, finding her brother's Pokemon yipping at her in irritation: a fiery prideful Vulpix named Kurama. Kurama was a small, quadruped, fox-like Pokemon that stood at 2'00". He had a red-brown pelt, brown, pupil-less eyes, large, pointed ears with dark brown insides, and six orange tails with curled tips. The Pokemon also had curled locks of orange fur with bangs on top of his head, a cream underbelly, and brown feet with lighter brown paw pads.

"Sorry 'bout waking you from your beauty sleep, Kurama~"  
"Vulpix Vul Vulpix Vul Vulpix Pix Vulpix Vul Vul!"

"... I'm going to guess that's Pokemon for 'Apology accepted'?"

"Six a.m.? Ugh..."

"Come on! Uncle Nagato's already making pancakes!"

 **-PokeFalls-**

"Arigatou, Uncle Nagato!"

"Vulpix Vul!"

"Itadakimasu, Nagato-ojisan." Natsumi, Kurama, and Naruto exclaimed, all three digging in to the rather large stack of blueberry pancakes covered in maple syrup. Standing in front of the duo was their uncle, Nagato, a disheveled-looking middle-aged man that stood at 5'9" with frazzled flat red hair, a five o'clock shadow, and a pair of dark purple eyes hidden underneath a pair of rectangular glasses. On top of his head was a dark red fez, and he wore nothing more than a pair of socks, boxers, a dirtied white muscle shirt, and a cooking apron.

"Hurry up and eat, ya rascals. The sooner you two get outta here, the sooner things will go back to normal!" Nagato exclaimed, though the grin on his face suggested that he was lying, and the two kids knew it too.

They had been living with their uncle for two years now, and despite how much he tried to deny it, Nagato had grown fond of his nephew and niece. But now they were about to embark on a journey he himself had done so many years ago, to become Pokemon Trainers.

The very thought brought back pleasant - and unpleasant - memories in Nagato's mind. Normally, the age that kids received their Trainer licenses was 12 (The age requirement changed from 10 to 12 nearly five years ago after the most scandalous and embarrassing controversy involving a 10 year old, dubbed the 'Growlithe Incident'), there were the occasional child prodigies that received theirs at a younger age, but those were rare. And then there were those that failed the standard test, either from a lack of knowledge, responsibility, or simply just lacking a value for Pokemon life.

Naruto had passed his with flying colors, but Natsumi on the other hand, failed the written portion of the test. The two did nearly everything together, yet Natsumi was still surprised that her blond brother refused to head out on his own adventure without her joining him. Instead, he began to tutor her. It took three tries, but she finally passed and received her Trainer's license.

Even more fortunate, she had caught the attention from some of the higher-ups and was given the 'Most Improved' award, along with which she would be given her first Pokemon.

"Hey Naru-chan." Nagato called out.  
"Whh hzz ht?" Naruto questioned, his mouth stuffed full of the buttermilk blueberry breakfast.

"There's a few boxes down in the basement that have some things I think you and Natsu-chan could use on your adventure." Nagato stated. "When you two are done eatin', head on down and look for boxes marked with red."

"Thhnkhz Uhnkhhl Nhhghth!" the two teens exclaimed, giving wide, pancake-stuffed smiles, causing the older man to shake his head amusingly.

"Hurry up and finish, wouldn't want to keep the Professor waitin'."

 **-Littleroot Town-**

"Kagari-chan..."  
"Zzzzz..."  
"Kagari-chan."

"Zzzzzzzzz..."  
"HARUKA-CHAN!"

"Wah! *Crash*!"

"Kagari-chan, you've overslept!"  
"Wuh?"  
"You passed out at the desk again. Now you're late for giving the 'Most Improved' Trainer her Pokemon!"  
"Oh shit!"

"Gah! *Crash*! What the fuck, Kagari-chan?!"  
"Sorry gotta hurry to uhh..."  
"Verdanturf Town-" "Verdanturf Town! See you in a bit, dear!"

 **-With Naruto and Natsumi-**

"Arceus, this place sure is dusty." Natsumi said, grabbing one of the flashlights placed at the bottom of the wooden stairs and flicking it on, the illuminating beam following where she looked.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find." Naruto retorted as he grabbed the second flashlight.

"Vulpix." Kurama yipped, hopping up onto Naruto's shoulder.

"Let's split up and look for clues!" Natsumi stated.

"Natsumi, this isn't a mystery case, we're just looking for boxes that are marked red." Nartuo deadpanned.

"Shakky, Shubie, you two look over there while Vincent, Donald and I look over there~" Natsumi exclaimed childishly, dashing off to Arceus knows where.

"*Sigh* Let's see what we can find, Kurama." Naruto said, walking off in the opposite direction his sister went.

Trinkets and gadgets that piled up to the ceiling, moisture-ridden boxes filled with objects of varying weights and size, the occasional rusting statue, all of these made Naruto and Kurama's trek feel like they were walking through a labyrinth.

"Vul Vulpix Vul." Kurama exclaimed.  
"What's up, Kurama? You find something?" Naruto questioned. His Pokemon gave no reply, jumping off of his shoulder and running off, rounding about a nearby corner. "Kurama, wait up!" he exclaimed, dashing after the Vulpix.

...

"Wowza!" Natsumi exclaimed to herself. Her luck streak continued to live on, seeing as she found a stack of boxes all marked red, leading her to open up all of them and loot their contents. "Hehehehe..." she began to giggle to herself as she pulled out a photo of a very young red haired boy, presumably her Uncle Nagato. She continued to shuffle through the soggy box, finding old outdated Devon devices and... a photo album?

"I wonder what's in here that would cause Uncle Nagato to hide this in a place like this... boop!" Natsumi mumbled to herself, making an audible sound when she opened up the book. "Woah..." Unlike the original photo she found, these pictures were of an older Nagato, who appeared to be in his teenage years. What really caught her attention was the Pokemon beside him in the photo - an Alakazam if she remembered correctly. Then some more random photos of different events, but at the end, there was a photo of an adult Nagato and...

"Who are you two in the picture?"

...

"Kurama?" Naruto called out, using his flashlight to search for the Fire-Type Pokemon. He was so focused that he didn't notice his misstep until he was already dropping down to the ground. "Oww!" he exclaimed, one of the many boxes he was navigating around falling atop him.

"Vulpix Vulpix Vul." Naruto glanced upward to find Kurama standing above him, nudging at the box that was on his back.  
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, pushing the box off of him and sitting up.  
"Vulpix!" Kurama yipped, tapping his paw against the top of the box.  
"You want me to open the box up?" Naruto questioned.  
"Vul." Kurama nodded his head, causing his Trainer to sigh before complying.  
"What's in this stupid box anyways?" Naruto muttered, his eyes widening as he gazed upon the box's contents. Firstly was a red hat with a white brim and a white semicircle across the front, and the second and final content of the box was a worn leather-bound book with a golden metal hand in the middle, the hand itself had a giant '3' in black.

"Vulpix Vul!"

"What is this..." Naruto mumbled, opening the book to the first page and began reading.

* * *

 **"** **June 18,**

It's hard to believe it's been six years since I

began researching the strange and

won'drous secrets of the Hoenn region.

 **In all my travels, never**

 **have I observed so**

 **many curious things!**

 **The Hoenn region is indeed**

 **a geographical oddity.** **"**

* * *

The left page was marred with unknown stains, but Naruto paid no mind to such. He was more focused on the words' meaning.

A geographical oddity? Secrets of the Hoenn region? What did that all mean...?

"Naruto! I found the boxes!" Natsumi's voice broke Naruto out of his stupor.

"Coming!" Naruto replied. He glanced down at the book one more time before closing it and walking away, book and hat in his hands.

 **-One Hour Later-**

A gust of wind gently blew across the field. Naruto looked up towards the sky, not a single cloud in sight.

"You ready for this bro?" Natsumi called out, now wearing a new, more durable outfit. The same could be said about Naruto's outfit.

The red cap Naruto found in the basement was now worn on his head. Along with this, he wore a simple unzipped red hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to just past his elbows, underneath which he wore a plain black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. He had a dark blue backpack, in which he concealed the book he found in the basement alongside other survival supplies.

Natsumi, on the other hand, had her hair done up in a high ponytail. She wore a black tank top, over which she wore a light blue open sleeveless jacket, pants of the same coloration, black and blue wristbands, and brown shoes. On her right hip was a brown satchel bag that hung from her right shoulder.

"Heh. I should be the one asking you that." Naruto retorted, grinning as he spoke. "Now come on, we were told to meet the Professor at the entrance to Rustboro Tunnel."

 **-With Nagato-**

The red haired man sighed, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. The hat Naruto now wore once belonged to... _him_. And just thinking about _him_ reminded him of _her_ as well.

How long has it been since he last saw either of them-

Nagato jolted up in his chair, eyes widened as he began to break into a stark sweat. Where _did_ Naruto get that hat?! There was only one way he could have gotten that hat, but that would mean...

"The book!"

 **-Unknown Location-**

" **Oh joys! The book has resurfaced again! Isn't that great news?!**

 **I wonder who it is this time? Hmm...**

 **I bet it will be hilarious!** "

 **-Rustboro Tunnel Entrance-**

"..."

"..."

"... Where is the Professor?"

"Perhaps she's running late." Naruto suggested, calmly watching Natsumi pace around impatiently.

"Ugh, I can't wait anymore! I'm going in!" Natsumi exclaimed, running off into the cave entrance.

"Natsumi!" Naruto yelled, but was too late. His sister was already gone.

"Vul?" Kurama called out.  
"Arceus dammit..." Naruto mumbled, running into the cave after his sibling.

Looks like their adventure would begin with having to bail his sister out of any danger she gets into...

Troublesome.

Chapter End

* * *

 **AN: Just to clear up any confusion, this story takes place nearly a decade after the events of Pokemon Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire. Which means there is no two evil teams trying to turn everything into Mad Max or Waterworld, or any asteroid on a collision course with PokeEarth.**

" **No, but there is something** _ **far**_ **worse. Far more hidden. Far more dangerous coming for this world. Just thinking about it is making me so excited!** "

 **... What the hell?**

" **Oh yeah,** _ **you're**_ **still here.** "

 **What are you doing in here? S-Stop! Don't touch that - ack!**

" **How about we make a deal, Crimson?** "

 **Get away from my computer!**

" **Won't you hear out my deal, Crimson?** "

 **I said get away from my computer!**

" **... *Sigh* I guess you're not in a talkative mood right now. I'll come back at a later date when you're willing to listen.**

 **And remember...**

 **I'll be watching you. _ALL_ of you... Tata~** "


	2. Chapter 2 - Horde Encounter!

**AN:**

" **Hello, Crimson. Happy birthday.** "

 **That's three days late, but thank you. And also... Why won't you stop proposing these deals?!**

" **So now are you in more of a listening mood,** _ **Crimson**_ **?** "

 **Get out of my Author's Note! I'm trying to address some of the reviewers' reviews! And also apologize for accidentally calling the Rusturf Tunnel the Rustboro Tunnel.**

" **Tsk, tsk, Crimson, or should I say-** "

 **No! No revealing my real name. I'd like to keep that a mystery, thank you very much.**

 **... Hehehe, you get it? Mystery? Because-**

" **Yes I get it. It's just not funny.**

 **Now, onto business, Crimson.** "

 **Later. But first... I have to say this. Naruto and Natsumi are fraternal twins. While twincest is an obviously accepted pairing in fanfiction, it won't happen. Ever. Period.**

 **Secondly, firegodvargas and Kelvin king, there is a reason why I chose Vulpix as Naruto's starter. And it's not because of the whole fox theme thing, that is a planned coincidence. The very fact that you immediately bashed Naruto having Vulpix for his first Pokemon without giving a good enough reason is not the strongest argument if you're trying to get me to change his first Pokemon.**

 **I have a reason for everything that goes on in my stories, an explanation of events that go on behind closed doors of the characters' eyes.**

 **And also, Hinata? Kiba? Shino? For possible pairings... really? And you call Naruto getting a fox-like Pokemon for his first cliché.**

 **Okay, enough of my rant. I'm ready to hear out your deal.**

" **Wonderful! You might want to begin the chapter however. This isn't something for...** _ **their**_ **ears to hear.** "

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Rusturf Tunnel Entrance (Route 116)-**

"Arceus dammit." Naruto mumbled, the light of the sun and the fact that his sister was nowhere in sight being all that he needed to know that she was still lost inside the cave.

"Vulpix Vulpix Vul!" Kurama exclaimed, a tick mark apparent on his face.

"Ano, excuse me?" Naruto turned around to find a frantic woman breathing heavily from exhaustion. She stood nearly four inches shorter than him, standing at 5'1" with pink eyes and slightly frazzled pink hair wearing a simple dark red dress, on top of which she wore a white labcoat.

"Oh, you must be the Professor." Naruto stated, the pinkette nodding in response.

"Yep! That's me! Have you by chance seen a girl by the name of Natsumi?" the Professor asked.

"*Sigh* My _sister_ got impatient and ran off into the caves on the Verdanturf side." Naruto stated. "But it appears she got lost along the way."

"Inside the cave?! But she doesn't have a Pokemon!" the Professor exclaimed, comically panicking and mumbling nonsense to herself. "We have to find her before a wild Pokemon attacks her!" she yelled, grabbing Naruto's hand and running into the tunnel, the blond haired teen flailing around in the wind like a rag doll.

Kurama just sighed in exasperation before trotting after the duo.

 **-With Natsumi-**

"I am so lost~ I. Am. So Lost~!" Natsumi exclaimed in a sing-song voice, as if there was nary a thing she had to worry about. She was skipping to the sound of dripping water and the echoes of Arceus knows what kind of Pokemon out in the foggy corridors of this cavern.

But she wasn't concerned about that. She was always curious of the unknown, it was in her nature. Which was one of the reasons why she wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer.

She wanted to see the world with her own two eyes, meet new people, make new friends, save a few people, and maybe meet her idol along the way.

"H-Hello?" Natsumi would never admit it out loud, but she jumped in surprise at the sudden new voice that made itself known to her.

"Who's there? Are you trying to spook me?" the red haired girl called out, her eyes darting in all directions, her body not too far behind, to find the source of the - in her mind - childish-sounding voice.

She kept spinning around until she collapsed onto the ground from dizziness.

"A-Are you alright, miss?" There it was again. Only this time, the sight of pale green hair was in the corner of her vision. She immediately sat up, eyes locked on the green hair she saw.

"A... child?" Standing in front of her was a timid and scared child, if the flinching reaction was anything to go by. He appeared to be no more than ten years old, his ice blue eyes full of fear and his skin abnormally pale.

His cloths consisted of a pristine white button-up, long-sleeved untucked shirt, yellow-green pants, and light blue shoes.

"A-Ano, are y-you a Pokemon Trainer?" the boy stuttered, pushing his index fingers together shyly.  
"Of course I am!" Natsumi boasted, puffing her chest out in pride before she deflated slightly. "I mean, I am going to be one. I was on my way to get my first Pokemon from the Professor, but I got lost inside this cave..."

"I-I could help guide you out, b-but you'll have to help me with something as well." the boy stated.

"Deal! Just help me find the exit!" Natsumi exclaimed, giving a cheeky smile at the boy.

"T-This way..." the child replied, pointing to the left hesitantly.  
"Thanks, gaki!" Natsumi said. "By the way, my name's Natsumi. Natsumi Uzumaki! What's yours?"

"It's-"

"Natsumi!" The red haired girl glanced away from the green haired child, only to find her brother and the Professor dashing towards her.

"Naruto! What's up-!" Natusmi was promptly tackled to the ground by her blond brother, the spot she stood at seconds ago exploding from the impact of a pink blur.

"Whismur Horde!" the Professor exclaimed. Natsumi's eyes widened at that. This was not their first encounter with wild Pokemon, but the ones outside of Verdanturf were more friendly and used to the duo's antics.

But out here? Outside of the Verdanturf Town area? The native wild Pokemon didn't know them. They wouldn't hesitate to attack them. And five of them were in front of them right now.

"Vul Vulpix!" Naruto looked to his side and found his faithful Pokemon companion yipping at him.  
"Kurama!" he exclaimed, the curt nod the Fox Pokemon gave him being all he needed to know that he was ready. "Let's do this!"

"Natsumi! Catch!" the Professor exclaimed, tossing a familiar red-and-white ball at the redhead.

"A Poke Ball?!" Natsumi exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Your first Pokemon! Throw her out!" the Professor exclaimed, standing a few yards behind the twins. Sure, she could help them against the Whismurs, she wouldn't break a sweat in doing so. But she wanted to see how _they_ would react, specifically how Natsumi would.

So with a hidden smirk, she continued to watch on silently.

"Her?! Alright! Come oooonn out!" Natsumi reeled her hand back and gave a pitcher's throw. A red beam of light shot out of the Poke Ball, and out came a small amphibious quadruped Pokemon. Standing at 1'04", she had a blue body with a light-blue underside, a large head with a blue fin on top, and a light-blue tail fin. She had black, beady eyes and orange, star-shaped gills on her cheeks.

"Mudkip!" the creature exclaimed, looking around the area in confusion.

"A Mudkip!" Natsumi squealed in delight.

Her Mudkip just looked so cute!

"Kurama, use Ember!" Naruto exclaimed. The Vulpix complied with his Trainer's commands, opening his mouth and shooting bolts of fire at one of the Whismurs, swiftly knocking out one of the five Whisper Pokemon. "Natsumi! Get a grip! You can gush over your Pokemon _after_ we fend off these Whismurs!"

"She knows Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun, Natsumi!" the Professor stated.

"You ready for this?" Natsumi questioned.

"Mudkip!" the Mudkip exclaimed, getting into a fighting stance.

"Let's back her up, Kurama!" Naruto said, adjusting his hat so that it overshadowed his eyes.  
"Whissssmuuuurrr!" another Whismur started, its hand encased in electricity as it charged at Natsumi's Mudkip with Thunder Punch.

"Dodge the attack and use Water Gun!" Natsumi yelled, the Mud Fish Pokemon strafing to the left moments before the Thunder Punch could get her.

"Mudkiiipp!" the Mudkip released a spiral of water from her mouth at point blank range, sending the Whismur flying back and into the adjacent wall.

"Two down, three to go." Naruto mumbled, lifting his head up and gazing down at the three remaining Whismurs. "Time to end this. Heat Wave!"

"Vulllpiiiiiix!" Kurama exclaimed, a wind of flames shooting out from his mouth, fanning out and encompassing the three Whismurs.

"Ara, ara, that's quite impressive." the Professor stated. "How long have you had your Vulpix?"  
"Kurama and I have been partners for four years now." Naruto replied, turning to Natsumi, though the red haired girl was more focused on her Pokemon battle. "Now let's watch and wait."  
"That was my plan the entire time." the Professor grinned.

"Use Tackle!" Natsumi exclaimed, her Mudkip charging at the Whismur while it was still dazed.

"Mudkip!" the blue creature slammed her against the Whisper Pokemon.

"Keep it up! I think one more attack should do the trick!" Natsumi said. "Use Water Gun!"

The pressurized burst of water hit the Whismur with enough force to leave a small indent in the shape of its form in the wall it slammed into. The red haired girl let out a cheer when she saw the Pokemon slide to the ground with a groan and swirls in its eyes.

"Congratulations, Natsumi." Naruto stated, thrown back slightly when Natsumi ran up to him and hugged him.

"Mudkip!" the Mudkip jumped up and down, trying to get her Trainer's attention.

"Heh, it looks like she's taken a liking to you, Natsumi." the Professor said, grinning like a madwoman as she spoke. "You were pretty decent for your first Pokemon battle too, especially considering the fact that you were using a Pokemon you just met."

"Thanks! Now it's time to give you a name! How about... Waddles?" Natsumi suggested, leaning down to her Mudkip.  
"Kip." the Mudkip shook her head 'no,' unsatisfied with the name suggestion.

"Hmm... How about Nami then?"

"Mudkip!" the Mudkip, now named Nami, jumped up and down in excitement, obviously pleased with her new name.

"Nami it is then!" Natsumi exclaimed, her Pokemon jumping up towards her attempting to embrace the redhead, to which she recuperated with a hug.

"Let's get out of this tunnel before more Pokemon attack us." the Professor suggested.

"Right. Come on, Natsumi, Kurama." Naruto said, motioning for the others to follow.

"Wait!" Natsumi yelled, looking around frantically in search of something or someone.

"What are you doing, Natsumi?"  
"Where did he go?"  
"What? Who are you talking about?"  
"There was a - he was just - I just... You know what? Never mind. Let's just get out of here." Natsumi finally conceded, her shoulders slumping down in defeat as she followed after the others as they made their way to the exit.

She never noticed the icy blue eyes focused on her, the unmoving figure whose gaze continued to follow her movements even after she vanished into the cover of the fog.

He felt a pang of guilt, which was more than what he had felt in a long, long time. And he knew why too...

He tricked her. She was lost and confused, and he took advantage of that. He was going to use her for his own benefit. The worst part was that she didn't even know what she agreed to, the kind of deal she made with him...

But he would deal with that later. For now, he needed to make sure that his investment would pay off. That she would be prepared for what was to come...

That she could really help him when the time came.

 **-Rusturf Tunnel Entrance (Route 116)-**

"Well! That was certainly exciting! I've never had _that_ happen before when giving a Trainer their first Pokemon!" the Professor exclaimed cheerfully. "Is this a common thing?"

"Unfortunately. Last time we ended up facing an escaped Ursaring that terrorized the outskirts of Verdanturf Town." Naruto stated dryly.

"That was fun and you liked it!" Natsumi retorted.

"Mudkip?" Nami questioned, tilting her head in confusion.  
"Vulpix Vul Vulpix Vul Vul." Kurama replied, patting his paw on the Water-type Pokemon's back as if reassuring the creature that this was normal.

"Now as much as I'd like to stick around, I have important research back at the lab that won't write itself!" the Professor stated, fumbling around with her labcoat a bit before pulling out two slim red devices. "These things right here are Pokedexes, the Kalos model - lovely devices that are small, compact, and touch screen! About a decade ago, Pokemon Professors would give these to young and promising Trainers to help them on their own quest to discover and identify new Pokemon. And while that continues to happen to this day - more and more new Pokemon can pop up at anytime in anyplace - these devices have been retrofitted to help new Trainers identify Pokemon that they encounter on their journey. The only catch is, you cannot access Pokemon information unless you have encountered that Pokemon and scanned them." she explained, gasping for air after her long-winded statement. The Professor quickly handed one to each of the twins before rummaging through her pockets once more. "Along with this, each Trainer is provided five complimentary Poke Balls to get them started out. Do you have anymore questions before I leave?" she asked, handing five Poke Balls to Naruto and five to Natsumi.

"Just one..." Natsumi started, cupping her chin with her hands and looking at the older woman quizzically. "Who... are you?"

"*BAM*!" Naruto, the Professor, Kurama, and Nami all facefaulted, all the while Natsumi looked on in confusion.

"Right... I forgot the introduction speech because of the Pokemon battle..." the Professor mumbled. "I am Kagari Kikai, Pokemon Professor of the Hoenn region and a former Team Magma Admin. I specialize in Fire-type Pokemon, but I study Pokemon habits and behaviours like my predecessor Professor Birch did." the Professor, now identified as Kagari, stated. "I'm sorry, but I really do have to get back to the lab. I have a research report with an upcoming deadline I need to finish. Ja mata!" she exclaimed, waving to the duo as she ran.

"Bye!" Natsumi exclaimed, waving back at the pinkette until she was out of sight. "She seemed nice, right bro?"  
"Sure, I guess." Naruto replied, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

"I wonder if..."  
"No./Pix."

"Mou, but you didn't even hear what I was going to say!"  
"But I know what you were going to say."

"... No fair!" Natsumi pouted, crossing her arms childishly for a few seconds.  
"Mudkip Mud!" Nami exclaimed.  
"Mmmmmmmm - I'm so excited! I have my own Pokemon now! Which means I can compete in the Pokemon League and become the Champion!" Natsumi cheered, pumping her fist up in the air.

"Slow down, sis. You need to defeat all eight Gym Leaders, then the Elite Four, and then the current Champion." Naruto stated.

"Bring it on! We can handle them all! Right, Nami?!" "Kip! Mudkip!"

"Vul..."  
"We can't help it, Kurama. You know how she gets when she puts her mind to something." Naruto sighed. "But hey, what's the worse that could possibly-"

"Vee!" Naruto was interrupted when out of nowhere, a white Pokemon dashed by, paying no heed to the two humans, Nami, and Kurama, scampering into the thick brush of forest in a matter of seconds.

"... happen. *Sigh* Me and my big mouth..." Naruto finished. At a glance, Naruto could see fear evident in the creature's eyes. It was running from something... but what?

Damn his curiosity.

"What was that?" Natsumi questioned.

"I don't know..." Naruto mumbled as he readjusted his hat. "Let's go find out."

Chapter End

* * *

" **-** **So how about it? Do we have a deal...?** "

 **... *Sigh* I guess I have no choice... But you know it won't -** " **I know.** "

 **At least say goodbye to the audience for me.**

" **Alright...**

 **Farewell for now. And remember, I'll be watching you~!** "


	3. Chapter 3 - A Rival Appears!

Chapter Start

"Which way did it go?"  
"I saw it go this way!"  
"Shall we continue our pursuit, madam?"

Cold dark blue eyes gazed on dully at the three men acting as her guards-slash-guides. She honestly didn't want to be here, but at the behest of her father, she went out on her search for the _perfect_ Pokemon to join her team. Rumors of a shiny Eevee brought her here, accompanied by three professional Pokemon trackers that were hired by her father to assist her.

"Madam?"  
"Let us proceed before it gets too far away."

 **-With Naruto and Natsumi-**

"It was a Nincada!"  
"For the last time, it was an Eevee." Naruto deadpanned, arguing against what he believed was the most stubborn person in the world... his sister.

"But it didn't have brown fur." Natsumi argued.  
"That's because it was a shiny Pokemon." Naruto retorted.

"A shiny?!" Natsumi exclaimed, a devilish grin spreading across her face. "How about a challenge, bro? Whoever can find and catch the shiny Eevee first wins! Ready. Set. Go!" Naruto didn't even get to say anything before his sister ran off, leaving a comical dust cloud in her outlined form.

...

"*Sigh* Troublesome..." Naruto muttered, pulling his backpack off and placing it at the base of a nearby tree.

"Vulpix?" Kurama called out.

"I say let her have her fun while she can. But for now, let's take a break, ne?" Naruto suggested, slumping back against the same tree until he was sitting down. He reached over and began rummaging through his backpack, tossing a 3x3 multi-colored cube towards Kurama and pulling out the strange handwritten book with the '3' on the cover - or as he so affectionately called it, Journal 3 - and began reading.

* * *

 **"** **35 3 30**

First page is a farce. Uhhh, to the untrained

beginner's eye it may seem to contain

relevant information. I can assure you it's

not the case. For you see, this is all

gibberish. Pure nonsense, if you wish. In

fact, none of my sample writing is of any

significance. I rarely dot my I's and cross

my T's, punctuation has alone taken a bind

next to pure theater. It is indeed a long lost

stunt. Please enjoy. Please enjoy the

irrelevant and incomprehensible rambling

seen

13

 **1 345 6 12 89 10 11"**

* * *

Naruto blinked in surprise. Pure nonsense? Irrelevant and incomprehensible rambling? He began to flip through the pages of the journal, skimming what he could about its contents.

Cursed Doors? Floating Eyeballs? Ghosts? Gnomes? The Gremloblin?! He didn't even know or understand what the fuck that last one was supposed to be!

As he began to become more and more furious with each passing page he read, he suddenly came across two consecutive pages that stood out from the others.

* * *

 **"** **Unfortunately, my**

 **suspicions have been**

 **confirmed, I'm being**

 **watched.**

I must hide this book before _He_ finds it.

Remember - in Hoenn there is no one

you can trust.

 **TRUST NO ONE!** **"**

* * *

 **"** **? ? ?**

Thirteen prying wheel found in the back of a

literature book at the old Rustboro library

shows a number of interesting symbols and

equations. The central eye denotes mystical

power. Note that several different _ and

_ appear.

 **What does it all mean?** **"**

* * *

Above that last text was a hand-drawn picture of some kind of circular puzzle, something that resembled a wheel in Naruto's eyes. This alone tamed the blond's building rage.

Perhaps the author of this journal put that message on the second page to deter any people who got their hands on it, so as to keep its content a secret.

The question is... from whom was he or she keeping it from? And why...?

"Vee?" Naruto looked up from his reading and found a pleasant surprise. A few yards away from him was the very Pokemon that his sister went off to find, the shiny Eevee. It was a mammalian, quadruped creature with primarily a near white-colored fur standing at 1'00" in height. The tip of its bushy tail and its large furry collar were snow white. It had short, slender legs with three small toes and a pink paw pad on each foot, black eyes, long pointed ears, and a small black nose.

"Vulpix Vul." Kurama mumbled, returning to solving his puzzle.

"Hey there, little guy - you are a guy, right?" Naruto called out, the shiny Eevee nodding in confirmation. "Little guy... What brings you here?"

"Eevee Eev Eev Eevee Vee Vee." the shiny Eevee replied, its small form quivering in fear as it spoke.  
"It's okay, I won't hurt you. I promise. And an Uzumaki never breaks their promises." Naruto stated, his voice calm and soothing as he spoke.

"Eev... Vee?" the shiny Eevee questioned hesitantly, turning to Kurama for some form of confirmation.

"Vulpix." Kurama replied, not even bothering to look up from his puzzle.

"Eevee!" Naruto was quite surprised when the Eevee slowly trotted up to him, wormed his way under and up through his arms and began to read alongside the blond Trainer.

"... Okay then." Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders and returning to reading Journal 3.

Looks like he was winning the competition with Natsumi.

 **-With Natsumi-**

"Mudkip Mud Mudkip Mud!" Nami exclaimed, looking around from atop Natsumi's head.

"Come on! Let's go find the... umm..." Natsumi faltered in her steps, slowing down to a halt with a look of confusion on her face. "What were we looking for again?"  
"Kip." Nami replied.  
"Right! The Eevee!" Natsumi yelled, spinning on her heels to run in another direction, but abruptly freezing up when she came face-to-face with... something. She didn't even know how to describe what was in front of her.

"Nami?"

"Kip...?"  
"Please tell me you see the, uhh... the floating eyeball."  
"Kip, Mudkip Mudkip Mud Mudkip Kip Mud Mudkip."  
"... I'm gonna take that as a 'yes'."

 **-With Naruto-**

Naruto calmly read through the page about the 'Floating Eyeballs', analyzing each detail thoroughly. Suddenly, the shiny Eevee's ears began to twitch, his head perked up as he began to panic.

"Vee! Eevee! Eevee!" the shiny Eevee cried, quivering in fear.

"What's wrong? Is it the thing that was chasing you?" Naruto questioned.  
"Vee!" the shiny Eevee furiously shook his head in confirmation, causing Naruto's eyes to narrow.

"Here. You can hide in here." Naruto said, pulling his backpack wide open so that the Eevee could hop in.

"Eevee!" Without any hesitation, the Eevee hopped off of Naruto and into the backpack, the blond quickly zipping up the bag so that the small Pokemon was hidden.

"This way! The tracks lead through here!"

"Proceed."  
"Of course, madam."

Out from the bushes came four people, three burly men and one girl.

"Oi, brat! Did'ya happen to find a little scrawny Eevee with white fur go this way?" one of the men asked. Naruto paid no heed to the three men, focusing his attention on the sole female of the group. She appeared to be around the same age as he was, standing at 5'4" with slightly pale skin that had a small glow, dark blue eyes that seemed to be scanning his every move, and dark blue hair that went down to her hips. Her outfit consisted of a simple blue tank top, navy blue form-fitting pants with vertical lines on either side, and dark blue shoes...

Whoever this girl was, Naruto thought, she appeared to really love the color blue.

"You, peasant." a dulcet, near euphonious voice escaped the bluenette's lips, breaking Naruto from his stupor. "Have you seen a Pokemon go by this way?"

"Yes."  
"Well then, which way did it go?"  
"I don't know."  
"WHAT?!" was the collective comical cry of the four new people as the blond shrugged his shoulders casually, as if he was talking about the weather.

"This is outrageous! You low-" the bluenette started.

"What she means to say, is _how_ can you have seen a Pokemon go by without knowing which direction it left towards?" one of the men interrupted her, his voice calm though forcefully restraining his anger.

"You never specified what kind of Pokemon." Naruto retorted, his eyes darting back down to his book as he blatantly ignored the four people.

"Why the nerve - do you even know who you're talking to?!" the bluenette questioned, dashing over to the blond man that wasn't paying attention to her. She crouched down beside him, placed her hand atop the book he was reading and pushed it down, so that he was face-to-face with the furious woman.

"... Should I?" Naruto paused for a moment as his gaze trailed downward before swiftly going back up to stare into her dark blue orbs.

What could he say? He was a hot-blooded, hormonal teenage boy with a perfect view of a girl's cleavage. He had no clue how long it would be for the next chance like this to roll around.

"Yes! Yes you should!" the bluenette exclaimed, more enraged that the blond didn't know who she was than the fact that he checked her out. "I am Lucina Hoenn! Descendant of the region's founder Marth Hoenn!"

"..." Naruto remained silent, a dry stare on his face and an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"My family is the wealthiest in all of the region!"  
"..."

"Why won't you say something dammit!?"  
"Why should I care?" Lucina and her three guides were taken aback by Naruto's statement. Never before had she met a person like him. Every other person after learning of her prestigious heritage would kiss up to her. But this blond boy...

Why was he acting so casual?! It infuriated her!

"Why should you care - _why_ should you _care_?! I am practically royalty!" Lucina exclaimed, gripping Naruto's jacket and violently shaking him around. "I believe that peasants like you should bow before royalty!"  
"And I believe in earning respect." Naruto retorted, his voice unwavering and monotone.

"Gah! You-"  
"Hey bro! You'll never guess what I... saw..." Natsumi's exclamation slowly trailed off when she saw the bluenette within such a close proximity to her brother.

"..." Naruto became silent, a light dusting of red spreading across his cheeks when he realized what kind of position he was in, and what his sister would say about it.

"Umm... Am I interrupting something, bro?" Natsumi questioned, waggling her finger teasingly with a devilish grin on her face.  
"No! I - he... shut up!" Lucina exclaimed, her face still red but for a completely different reason.

"I didn't say anything." Naruto commented. "Hey Natsumi, this is Lucina. Lucina, this is my sister Natsumi. You're both looking for the same Eevee."

"How did you know what Pokemon we were looking for?" Lucina questioned, her eyes narrowing with barely contained rage.

"I didn't. You just confirmed my suspicions." Naruto replied, closing his journal and placing it at his side, panting both arms on either side of his body to support his weight. "By the way, don't turn around."

In an act of defiance, Lucina did the exact opposite of what Naruto suggested. She turned around and found a pair of mischievous cerulean blue eyes staring back at her own.

"Battle me!" Natsumi exclaimed, her face less than an inch away from Lucina's own, causing the bluenette to stumble back in surprise and land on something... warm?  
"Get out of my face, peasant! And _maybe_ I'll consider giving you the honor of fighting me in a Pokemon battle!" Lucina huffed, crossing her arms and holding her head up high with her eyes closed. Whatever she was sitting on began to feel very uncomfortable to her, as if a certain spot in the ground was growing. So she shifted around as to be more accustomed to the warm... growing... ground...

Her eyes shot open, an atomic red blush present on her face as she craned her head back to see what she was actually sitting on. She was mortified to find a petrified Naruto with an equally red blush on his face.

"I... I'm not sitting on the ground, am I..."  
"Nope."  
"Nay."  
"Aaa-nope."  
"You look pretty snug in my bro's lap~"  
"NATSUMI!"  
"She kinda does, actually..."

"GERALD!"  
"Is that wedding bells I hear~?"

"SHUT UP NATSUMI!" both Naruto and Lucina yelled. The latter quickly hopped off of the blond's lap and the former adjusted his pants to hide his boner.

"I... Uhh... Sorry..." Naruto muttered.  
"I will pay you all to never speak of this incident... _ever_." Lucina stated, attempting to pull off a furious and intimidating look, but...

'C-cute...' Naruto thought, the blush on Lucina's face combined with her furious expression making her look like a...

"Tsundere! Oh my Arceus you're a total tsundere!" Natsumi exclaimed.  
"Tsundere?! I am _not_ a tsundere!" Lucina retorted. "Now will you accept my bribe or not?!"

"Yes."  
"Hell yeah."  
"Sure."  
"Nah." her three guides agreed to the extra cash, but when it came to a certain red haired girl.  
"What?! What do you want?!" Lucina questioned.

"A Pokemon battle! One Pokemon each! If you win, then I'll agree to keep this quiet. But if I win, you won't hear the end of it!" Natsumi stated. "And how about we up the ante a bit? Loser has to give up searching for the shiny Eevee and trying to catch it!"

"Humph! Deal." Lucina stated, pulling out a Luxury Ball and moving to one side of the field. "I'm going to crush you into dust, you lewd-lowlife!"

"Bring it on, rich bitch!" Natsumi retorted, pulling out her own regular Poke Ball.

"*Sigh* Who's going to referee the match? One. Two. Three. Not it." Naruto called out.  
"Not it!"

"Not it!"  
"Not it - shit!" the third Pokemon guide cursed. With a groan, he accepted his fate and stood halfway between Natsumi and Lucina. "The battle between madam Lucina Hoenn of Lilycove City and, uhh..."  
"Natsumi Uzumaki of Verdanturf Town!"  
"-Natsumi Uzumaki of Verdanturf Town is about to commence. Please send out your Pokemon now."

"Come on out, Nami!" Natsumi exclaimed, her Mudkip materializing in a flash of red light.

"Let's finish this, Falchion." Lucina said, tossing her Luxury Ball. After the red light died down, there was a small, blue, canine male Pokemon. He stood at 2'04" and had black legs and torso, a blue tail, and a yellow collar. He had rounded bumps on the back of his forepaws, a black "mask" and red eyes. He stood on his toes instead of his entire foot.

"A Riolu, huh." Naruto mumbled. Suddenly, his back began shuffling around. He unzipped it partially so he could see the shiny Eevee he was hiding. "Oh? What's wrong, little guy?"

"Vee. Eevee Eev Eevee Vee." the shiny Eevee yipped quietly, motioning off to the bushes.  
"You want to leave?" Naruto questioned, the Eevee shaking his head 'no'. "Talk?"  
"Vee!" the shiny Eevee exclaimed, nodding his head in confirmation.

"Okay..." Naruto muttered, silently sneaking away from the others, as did Kurama, the Fire-type Pokemon holding the cubic puzzle in his mouth.

"Woah! What Pokemon is that?!" Natsumi questioned aloud, pulling out her Pokedex.

" **Riolu, the Emanation Pokemon. The aura that emanates from its body intensifies to alert others if it is afraid or sad.** " her device, which she called 'Dex' for short, stated in a robotic voice.

"Are the challengers ready?" the referee called out.

"Ready." Lucina stated.  
"Fuck yeah!" Natsumi exclaimed.

"Ichi... Nii... San... HAJIME!" the referee threw his hands down, signifying the start of the match.

"Falchion, use Quick Attack." Lucina commanded, the Fighting-type Pokemon charging at Nami at a fast speed, a white streak of light trailing behind him.

"Nami! Counter her attack with Growl!" Natsumi said, the Mud Fish Pokemon releasing a loud, piercing shriek from her mouth that distorted the air around her and threw Falchion off balance.

"Falchion..." Lucina called out.  
"Now use Tackle while Falchion is still stunned!" Natsumi exclaimed.  
"Mudddkiiippp!" Nami cried out, tackling the Riolu.  
"Riolu!" Falchion exclaimed, crying out in pain as the opponent's Mudkip slammed into him.

"-Use Counter." Lucina stated, a grin spreading across her Pokemon's face as he gripped Nami's fin. His body became outlined with an orange energy before he punched Nami, sending the Water-type flying back.

"Nami! Are you okay?" Natsumi questioned, the Mudkip shaking the dirt of her body and nodding towards her Trainer. "Alright! Put some space between you and Falchion!"

"Don't let up. Use Poison Jab, Falchion." Lucina ordered, Falchion's forepaw glowing purple as he charged at his opponent.

"Wait for it... And... NOW! Use Mud Slap!" the bluenette and her Pokemon's eyes widened when Nami dug her heels into the ground and fired a stream of mud from her mouth point blank at Falchion.

"Riolu!" Falchion cried.

"I think it's time we stopped playing with her." Lucina stated. "Use Thunder Punch."

"Thunder Punch?/Kip?" Natsumi/Nami called out in confusion, the latter receiving a fistful of yellow sparks to the gut.

"Nami!"  
"Mudkiiiiiiiiippp!" Nami exclaimed, dropping to the ground with a groan and swirls in her eyes.

"Natsumi's Pokemon is unable to battle! The winner is Lucina Hoenn!" the referee exclaimed, throwing his hand up towards the bluenette.

"Riolu!" Falchion exclaimed victoriously.

"Ha! Let that be a lesson to-" "Well that was fun! Good match!" Lucina was thrown off by the redhead's optimism, even in the face of defeat.

"What are you talking about? You just lost!" Lucina exclaimed in confusion.

"Well, yeah, but I'm not the perfect Trainer. I'm bound to lose a few times or more in my career!" Natsumi replied, kneeling down beside her recovering Pokemon. "And besides, I had fun with our battle, Rival!"  
"Rival?! I am _not_ your rival!" Lucina yelled.

"From this day forward, you are my Rival!" Natsumi exclaimed, giving a one-eyed smile and a thumbs up.

"Tch, whatever. At least now I can focus on catching that shiny-" "I caught him." Lucina comically froze at Naruto's statement, the blond emerging from... wherever he went off to with Kurama by his side and a Poke Ball in his hands.

"You... what?" one of the Pokemon guides called out.  
"I caught the shiny Eevee. Come on out, Shunko." Naruto stated, a red beam of light shooting out from the Poke Ball in his hands. And sure enough, the shiny Eevee, now named Shunko, materialized.

"You..." Lucina started, her hair overshadowing her eyes.

"Oh come on, bro! That's not fair!" Natsumi whined.

"Actually, it's quite fair. Neither of you had claim over the Eevee in question, and even then I was given consent by Shunko to catch him." Naruto logically retorted.

"Vee!" Shunko yipped cheerfully.

"You bastard! Who do you think you are?!" Lucina yelled, pointing accusingly at the blond.  
"Naruto Uzumaki. And frankly, my dear Lucy-chan, I don't give a damn." Naruto said, adopting a fake Southern accent in his last statement.

"L-Lucy-chan?!" Lucina exclaimed, her face turning red at the nickname.

"Well, as much as I would like to stick around, we must be on our way." Naruto stated. "Until next time, Lucy-chan."

"See ya around, Rival!" Natsumi said, placing Nami atop her head so that the Mud Fish Pokemon would be comfortable as she recovered before running to catch up with her brother.

"Madam?"

"..." Lucina couldn't find the words to describe what she felt. She was stunned to silence, a myriad of emotions swirling through her head, the most prominent being anger and embarrassment, and some other emotions that confused her greatly.

"Well, what should we do now?"

"You three may leave. Your payments will be transferred to your accounts in the next twenty-four hours." Lucina stated. "I do not require your assistance any further."

"By your command." And with that, the three men quickly departed, leaving the bluenette and her Pokemon alone.

"Riolu?" Falchion called out, concerned for his Trainer.

"It's fine, Falchion. You did a good job today." Lucina said, affectionately petting her Riolu, much to the Pokemon's delight. "Those two... Natsumi and Naruto..." she mumbled, the names of the twins sticking to the forefront of her mind. "Call it a gut feeling, Falchion, but I feel like I'll be seeing more of those two soon enough..."

She didn't realize it at the moment, but she would come to both welcome and regret her statement.

 **-Unknown Location-**

"Alakazam?"  
"It's time, Tendou. We cannot hesitate or delay this any further."  
"Alakazam, Alaka Alakazam."  
"*Sigh* I know. But the journal has been passed on to the right hands. All we can do now... is give them the time to prepare."

"Kazam..."

"..."

"..."

" **Why hello there! Nagato-chan! I haven't seen you in forever!** "  
"Cut the crap."  
"Alakazam."  
" **... Well fine! If you to have it like that, then take it!** "

"You won't get away with what you've done. To both Yahiko and to Konan."  
" **Ah, but quite contrary to that, I** _ **am**_ **getting away with it. As. We. Speak.** "

"Kazam, Alakazam."

" **... Where is it?** "  
"Someplace safe. Out of your clutches."

" **You think that alone is going to defeat me?! You must be going senile! All three of you working together could not do so!** "  
"I know I alone cannot defeat you. But the legacy that I've left behind, the one who will carry on my will, my flesh and blood... If anyone can stop you, _he_ can."

" **So what if you've chosen a successor! That boy won't be prepared to stop me in time!** "  
"Yes he will! I have made sure that he was set on the right path!"

" **And what's to stop me from going after him?!** "  
"Me! I may not be able to defeat you, but I can sure as hell hold you back long enough for him to prepare! Tendou! Let's do this!"  
"Alakazam!"

Chapter End


	4. Chapter 4 - The First Step

Chapter Start

 **-Rustboro City-**

Natsumi looked up at the looming building, the morning sun casting a shadow. She almost feeling intimidated at the sight. A week had passed since they first met Lucina, and in that time, she had caught a second Pokemon and trained with Nami. Her Mudkip's skillset had increased, learning the moves Foresight, Water Pulse, Refresh, Endeavor, and Superpower.

Naruto, on the other hand, did not catch any more Pokemon aside from Shunko, choosing instead to focus on training both him and Kurama, and reading through Journal 3. Shunko's arsenal of attacks now consisted of Helping Hand, Growl, Tackle, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Baby-Doll Eyes, Swift, Quick Attack, Detect, and Iron Tail. Kurama learned Will-O-Wisp, Feint Attack, Hex, Hypnosis, Extrasensory, Zen Headbutt, Foul Play, Substitute, Safeguard, Captivate, and Power Swap.

"You ready?"

"I... don't know." she muttered under her breath, though her brother heard her quite clearly.

"Come on, Natsumi. You've got this." Naruto said encouragingly, patting his red haired sister on the back.

"But what if I fail?! What if I fail and I never become the Champion?!" Natsumi panicked, only to be hit upside the head by Naruto. "Oww!"

"Since when has the possibility of failure ever stopped you from doing anything?! You're Natsumi Uzumaki! You don't listen to those who tell you that you can't do it! You do it just to spite them and prove them wrong!"

"Yeah! You're right!"  
"Now go in there and kick some Gym Leader ass!" Naruto exclaimed, Natsumi charging into the Gym with a battle cry. "Well, that gives me a few hours of free time." he mumbled, tossing out two of his Poke Balls, Kurama and Shunko appearing in a flash of red light.

"Vulpix Vul?"

"Vee!"

"Time to get to work guys."

 **-Roppongi Hills Cafe-**

Lucina sighed, staring at her own reflection in her French press coffee. She picked up the provided silver spoon resting beside her cup and started swirling the half-empty cup of light brown steaming liquid.

She was absolutely bored out of her mind. There was no other way to put it. So to stave off the mind-numbing feeling, she reached into a spaghetti-strap purse she bought a few days ago and pulled out her PokeNav 6 Plus and a pair of earbuds.

 _ **(Play Nightcore - Paramore Mix by sparsyle . nightcore)**_

The sound of the piano rhythmically lulled Lucina to close her eyes, loosing herself to the music, one of the very few things she could find solace in...

" _Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?_

 _I could really use a wish right now,_

 _wish right now,_

 _wish right now_

 _Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?_

 _I could really use a wish right now,_

 _wish right now,_

 _wish right now!_ "

The bluenette briefly opened her eyes, before they shot open. A familiar mop of blond hair darted across her vision, her dark blue orbs subconsciously tracking the sight.

It was that boy she met a week ago, Naruto, if she remembered correctly...

" _I'm in the business of misery, let's take it from the top_

 _She's got a body like an hourglass that's ticking like a clock_

 _It's a matter of time before we all run out_

 _When I thought he was mine, she caught him by the mouth_

 _I waited eight long months_

 _She finally set him free_

 _I told him I couldn't lie, he was the only one for me_

 _Two weeks and we had caught on fire_

 _She's got it out for me, but I wear the biggest smile!_ "

What was he doing out here? His lips parted and he spoke, but she didn't hear what he said over the sound of her music. He seemed like he was in a rush too...

" _Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change_

 _Once a whore, you're nothing more, I'm sorry that'll never change_

 _And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged_

 _I'm sorry honey, I passed out, now look this way!_

 _Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you_

 _Looking as innocent as possible to get to who_

 _They want and what they like, it's easy if you do it right_

 _Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse! (Can we pretend that-)_

 _-airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?_

 _I could really use a wish right now,_

 _wish right now,_

 _wish right now_

 _Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?_

 _I could really use a wish right now,_

 _wish right now,_

 _wish right now!_ "

Curiosity began to gnaw at her mind, so she stood up, placed a twenty Pokédollar tip underneath her saucer, and began to follow Naruto.

She wasn't stalking him, she was just sneakily trailing behind him at a distance without him knowing...

" _Well she lives in a fairy tale_

 _Somewhere too far for us to find_

 _Forgotten the taste and smell_

 _Of a world that she's left behind_

 _It's all about the exposure the lens_

 _I told her the angles are all wrong_

 _Now she's ripping wings off of butterflies!_

 _So one day, he found her crying_

 _Coiled up on the dirty ground_

 _Her prince finally came to save her_

 _And the rest you can figure out_

 _But it was a trick and the clock struck twelve_

 _Well, make sure to build your home brick by boring brick_

 _Or the wolves gonna blow it down! (Can we pretend that-)_

 _-airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?_

 _I could really use a wish right now,_

 _wish right now,_

 _wish right now_

 _Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?_

 _I could really use a wish right now,_

 _wish right now,_

 _wish right now!_ "

Lucina quickly hid behind a nearby tree, unsure if the she was 'following at a distance' (read: stalking) spotted her or not. Her heart was racing at the very idea of being caught in such an embarrassing situation, yet that didn't stop her from peeking around to see if he was looking.

For some reason, she felt a little disappointed that he had continued on his path without looking back.

Just a little...

" _All I wanted was you!_

 _All I wanted was you!_

 _All I wanted was you!_

 _All I wanted was you!_ "

The song faded to silence as it came to an end. She pulled the earbuds out and stored them inside her purse, and by the time she looked up, Naruto had stopped walking and was now facing her.

"Why are you following me?" Lucina let out an involuntary 'eep!' and jumped back.  
"I-I was not following you!" she exclaimed, shaking her head and denying the question's truth.  
"Okay... Why were you stalking me?" Naruto corrected, causing Lucina to facefault.

"I was not stalking you! I was just bored and - hey!" Lucina started, only to notice Naruto was ignoring her and walking away as if she was never there in the first place. "Where do you think you're going?!" she yelled, face flushed red with anger.

"I've got less than five hours before my sister finishes battling the Rustboro Gym Leader, and there are a few things I need to investigate in the surrounding forests." Naruto replied dryly. His back was turned to the bluenette, so he was unprepared when she tackled him to the ground.

"Nobody ignores me! _Nobody_!" Lucina stated, pinning a dazed Naruto to the ground by sitting on him.

"... Vulpix, Vul Vulpix Vul." Kurama deadpanned.  
"Vee! Eevee Eev Eevee Vee!" Shunko exclaimed, scurrying behind Kurama. Apparently, the events from last week were a bit traumatic to the Eevee.

Then again, being driven out of his home and hunted by four people, one of whom was standing before him right now, did that more than its fair share of psychological scarring.

"Well there's a first for everything." Naruto retorted as he attempted to wriggle out of the predicament he was in.

"Why are you so insistent on... ughh!?" Lucina exclaimed in frustration.  
"Be more specific with your question. Why am I so insistent on what?" Naruto calmly questioned, still stuck underneath Lucina. "Kurama, could you help me out here?"

"Vulpix!" Kurama exclaimed, practically grinning as he lowered his head, a blue energy manifesting in a bowl at the top of his head.

"Oh you crazy fu-" Naruto started, only to have the wind knocked out of him as Kurama slammed a Zen Headbutt into his body. As expected, Naruto was sent tumbling, though Lucina was sent flying as well.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Lucina comically yelled, her reaction to being sent sailing through the air to be to grab on to the nearest solid object.

"That did not go as planned!" Naruto mumbled, groaning as he went from being hit by a living battering ram to being used as a gripping post by the bluenette.

Eventually they stopped soaring through the air, the blond landing on the ground first with Lucina partially on top of him... again.

"What... the hell... is... your... problem...?" Lucina repeated, gripping Naruto's shirt like it was a lifeline.

"Quest... for... intellectual... pursuit..." Naruto replied, holding his gut in pain with one hand and using the other to try to pry off Lucina's hands.

"Ha! That is a pathetic look for someone of your social status, Lucina-chan!" the bluenette immediately froze up and began shaking in fear, something that did not go unnoticed by Naruto. "I wonder what your _father_ would say..."

Walking out into the clearing was someone who just oozed arrogance, at least in Naruto's opinion. It was a short man that stood at 5'0" with messy brown hair and sharp black eyes with vertical slit-like pupils, pronounced canine teeth, and nails so long they could be considered claws.

Even worse than the cocky smirk plastered on his face was the outfit he was wearing: a baby blue suit, a black shirt, a Poke Ball pin on the left side of his collar, brown, polished shoes, and a strange jade amulet that Naruto swore he saw from somewhere before, but couldn't really remember.

"... Who's this asshole?" Naruto asked Lucina, outright ignoring the short man.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" the short man yelled furiously.

"You know, now that I'm not on the receiving end of this, I find it quite... amusing." Lucina said to Naruto, a small amused smile present on her face.

"Bitch! Why don't you crawl back to your father before I put you in your place!" the short man sneered, causing Lucina to visibly flinch.

...

"Apologize."  
"What?! What the fuck do you mean?!" the short man was thrown off guard when the blond directly addressed him for the first time.

"I said. Apologize." Naruto repeated, standing up alongside Lucina, the bluenette still gripping his shirt.

"Oh? And, pray tell, why _should_ I apologize to this sl-"  
"Because if you don't, I'll make you." Naruto interrupted.

"Vulpix!" "Eevee!" Kurama and Shunko exclaimed, getting into fighting stances, ready to support their Trainer if needed.

"Ha! As if those two sorry excuses of creatures you call your Pokemon can even scratch mine!" the short man boasted, pulling out an Ultra Ball and pressed the circular button at the front. In a flash of red light, a Machamp appeared - a bipedal, humanoid Pokemon that stood three inches taller than its Trainer with four well-muscled arms. Its skin was bluish gray, and it had red eyes and pale yellow lips. On its head, there were three, brown ridges right above its eyes. It had two arms on each side of its body: a pair located in the normal position, and another pair directly above that attaches on the top of the shoulders. It wore black briefs along with a golden power-save belt. Its legs had considerable muscle tone, and its feet had two toes.

"A Machamp, huh." Naruto mumbled.

"Meet El Campeón!" the short man exclaimed, throwing his hands up for flare.

"Hmm... Overcompensate much?" Naruto questioned, Lucina stifling a giggle at the jest.  
"Shut up! What about you?! With your stupid Vulpix! Under-compensate much?! Wait... I think I screwed that up, shit!" the short man yelled, causing Naruto and Lucina to laugh. "Fuck you, you son of a bitch!"

...

"What did you just say?" Naruto asked, his voice barely above a whisper and his hat and hair overshadowing his eyes.  
"I said... Shut. Up. You. Son. Of. A. Bitch." the short man repeated, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"I thought so..." Naruto mumbled, turning to his Pokemon. "Shunko, do you mind if you sit this one out? This just became personal for Kurama and I."

"Vee!" Shunko yipped, nodding his head and jumping up onto Naruto's head.

"Ha! You won't have a chance against El Campeón using only-" "Kurama, use Extrasensory." "-What..." Kurama's eyes began to glow gold, his body surrounded by an aura of the same coloration. The Vulpix opened his mouth and he released a beam of rainbow-colored energy that slammed into El Campeón.

"Hey! No fair! I wasn't ready to-" "Will-O-Wisp." Kurama continued his barrage of attacks, unrelenting in his assault and barely giving El Campeón any time to react, this time in the form of pink, light blue, and dark blue fireballs that quickly materialized around the Vulpix and shot out at the Machamp.

"Okay that's it! El Campeón, use Dual Chop!" the short man yelled, the Machamp's four hands glowing green as they swiped downward at Kurama.

"Safeguard!" Naruto yelled. Suddenly Kurama was surrounded by a light blue barrier, blocking the incoming attack from El Campeón moments before it struck. Unfortunately, the force behind the Dual Chop was powerful enough to send Kurama flying back. "Are you okay, Kurama?"  
"Vulpix Vul!" Kurama yipped, a determined look in his eyes.

"Good. Now..." Naruto mumbled, his royal purple eyes flashing red for a brief moment. "The real battle begins."

 **-With Natsumi-**

"I'm here to battle the Gym Leader!" Natsumi exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Oh? A new challenger?" a new voice called out. "I haven't had one in a long time. But I guess that may be partially my fault for studying abroad."

"Are you the Gym Leader?" Natsumi asked.  
"Yep! The name's Tsutsuji! But everyone calls me Roxanne!" standing before the red haired girl was a young adult woman in her early twenties. She had red eyes hidden behind a pair of black glasses, taupe-colored hair with a white hair bow and went halfway down her back, lightly tanned skin, perky CC-cup breasts, and stood at 5'6". Her attire consisted of a red-violet form-fitting shirt that showed off a small amount of her cleavage, light blue jeans that hugged her curves, a white belt, and light brown flip-flops. In her hands she held a simple marble notebook and a pencil. Were it not for the three Poke Balls clipped to her belt, Natsumi might have doubted that she was the Gym Leader.

"Cool! Battle me!" Natsumi yelled, pulling out one of her two Poke Balls, Roxanne stifling an amused laugh.

"I like you, kid. What's your name?" Roxanne asked, placing her pencil in the same hand that held her notebook and pulled out her Poke Ball.

"My name is Natsumi Uzumaki! The number one hyperactive unpredictable Pokemon Trainer from Verdanturf Town!" Natsumi stated.

"Well, Natsumi Uzumaki, you remind me of a Trainer I met a long, long time ago." Roxanne stated. "Which means I know you're bound for great things ahead of you. Now let's have a Pokemon battle."

"Come on out, Nami!" the red haired girl exclaimed, her Mudkip appearing in a flash of red light.

"Mudkip!" Nami exclaimed.

"Let's do this, Iwatama!" Roxanne called out, tossing out her own Pokemon.

"Woah! Is that a Geodude?" Natsumi mumbled to herself, pulling out her Pokedex. On the opposite side of the field was a gray boulder Pokemon that stood at 1'04". It had bulging, rocky eyebrows and trapezoidal, brown eyes. Its arms were muscular with five-fingered hands, and its body was chipped and worn.

" **Geodude, the Rock Pokemon. The longer a Geodude lives, the more its edges are chipped and worn away, making it more rounded in appearance. However, this Pokemon's heart will remain hard, craggy, and rough always.** " Dex stated.

"Geodude!" Iwatama exclaimed, slamming its hands together and beckoning a challenge towards the Mudkip.

"Jimmy, could you please referee this battle?" Roxanne asked. One of the few kids a bit younger than Natsumi stood up and nodded his head, running off to stand halfway between the Gym Leader and Pokemon Trainer.

"The battle between Gym Leader Roxanne of Rustboro City and Challenger Natsumi Uzumaki of Verdanturf Town will now commence! Since this is a standard Pokemon League battle, only the Challenger will be permitted to substitute Pokemon!" Jimmy exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke. "Ichi... Nii... San... Hajime!"

 **-With Naruto and Lucina-**

"El Campeón, use Dynamic Punch!" the Machamp's four fists became surrounded by a bluish-white aura and it attempted to punch Kurama.  
"Power Swap!" Naruto exclaimed. Kurama closed his eyes, a near translucent white and orange energy cycling between the Vulpix and El Campeón as their attack and special attack powers were switched. "Now, use Zen Headbutt!" Kurama's eyes snapped open, a familiar dome of blue energy manifesting at the top of his head as he ducked under El Campeón's Dynamic Punch and slammed his skull into the Fighting-type Pokemon's solar plexus.

"Oh come on! To the solar plexus?! Really?!" the short man whined. "That's not legal in the Bro Code!"  
"Only crotch shots are illegal. Though solar plex strikes are frowned upon, they are permitted in certain circumstances. Such is the case." Naruto retorted. "Extrasensory!"

"Vulpiiiiiiiixxxx!" Kurama exclaimed, firing off another Psychic attack at his large opponent.

"Chaaaaammmmppp!" El Campeón cried out, dropping to the ground unmoving with swirls in its eyes.

"El Campeón!" the short man exclaimed before furiously turning to Naruto. "You bastard!"

"Now will you apologize." Naruto stated rather than asked, repeating his statement from earlier.

"Return!" the short man said, returning his Machamp to its Poke Ball and slowly backing away. "You... This isn't the last you'll see of me! Mark my words! You've made yourself a powerful enemy today!" he yelled before he began running away.

...

"Arceus, he's a fucking asshole." Naruto muttered, kneeling down to Kurama. "You did a good job, Kurama. Thank you."  
"Vulpix Vul!" Kurama yipped cheerfully.

"You..." Lucina started, catching the blond Trainer's attention. "Why?"  
"I'm sorry, but you have to be more specific. Why what?" Naruto questioned.  
"Why would you stand up for me like that? You barely know me and even then I haven't been... nice, to you." Lucina asked.  
"I have my reasons." Naruto replied, his vague statement causing Lucina's eyes to narrow.

"Eevee! Vee, Eevee Eev!" Shunko yipped, adding his own two cents to the conversation.

"Now, I should probably get back to the original reason why I came out here..." Naruto stated, pulling out his two Poke Balls and returning Kurama and Shunko.

"I see..." Lucina mumbled, a little disappointed as she began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" the bluenette immediately halted in her tracks when she heard the blond's question. She quickly spun around to face Naruto, finding his hand extended out to her and a small smile on his face. "The investigation is this way. You coming or what?"

"I thought you didn't want me to _follow_ you." Lucina retorted, a smile of her own spreading across her face.

"Now where would you get an idea like that?" Naruto queried.

Lucina giggled before reaching out to accept the blond's offering hand, a small dusting of red on her cheeks as she did so.

"Let's try this again. Hi, my name is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto stated.

"I-It's nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. My name is Lucina Hoenn." Lucina replied. "So what exactly are we searching for in this forest, Naruto-kun?"

"Floating eyeballs."

"FLOATING WHAT?!"

 **-With Natsumi-**

"Nami, use Water Gun!" Natsumi exclaimed.  
"Iwatama, Defense Curl!" Roxanne called out, her Geodude curling up into a ball moments before the pressurized shot of water impacted against it. "Now, use Rock Throw!" Iwatama quickly uncurled from a ball and slammed its fists into the ground, making rocks fly at its opponent.

"Dodge it, Nami! Then use Water Pulse!" Natsumi said, her Mudkip weaving in and out of the way of the incoming rock projectiles. Nami's orange gills began to glow as she gathered water vapor from the air around her. A geyser then fired from the water around Nami at the Geodude.

Iwatama was too slow and was sucked up into the water tornado, crying out in pain as the attack did its toll on the Rock-type Pokemon.  
"Iwatama!" Roxanne exclaimed. When the watery vortex died down, her Geodude was unmoving with swirls in its eyes.

"Iwatama is unable to battle! The round goes to Natsumi Uzumaki!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"You did your best, Iwatama. Return." Roxanne said, returning her unconscious Pokemon to its Poke Ball. Honestly, she had quite expected that to happen. Rock-type Pokemon were weak to Water-type attacks...

And the very same thing had happened when she first battled _him_.

"Nami, return!" Natsumi yelled, her Mudkip retreating into her Poke Ball.  
"Send out your next and final Pokemon! Pokemons? P-Pokemon!" Jimmy yelled.

"Come on out, Kokan!" Roxanne exclaimed, sending out her final Pokemon: a Nosepass. It was a blue, angular, hard bipedal Pokemon that stood at 3'03" with a bright red, triangular nose that resembled a 3D arrow. It had arms and legs without any visible joints and small, circular holes on the undersides. Its arms resembled compass needles. It had similar circular holes on the sides of its head, and its eyes were covered by dark, somewhat mask-like markings which had the appearance of being closed.

"Time to shine, Kariu!" Natsumi exclaimed, tossing out her newest Pokemon.

"Poochyena!" a small quadruped Pokemon appeared, enthusiastically yipping at the prospect of his first real battle. He stood at 1'08", his body being similar in appearance to hyenas and canines and was primarily gray, with a black face, throat, feet, and belly. His eyes had yellow sclera and red irises, and his nose was also red. His lower jaw had two pointed teeth sticking out, and the fur at the base of his tail was rumpled and shaggy. The Poochyena also had gray paw pads on his three-toed paws.

"Ichi... Nii... San... Hajime!" Jimmy called out, throwing his hands down to signify the start of round two.

"Kariu, use-!" "*BOOM*!" both Natsumi and Roxanne froze when the sound of an explosion went off.

"W-What was that?!" Jimmy questioned.

"What's going on? Who are you?!"  
"S-Stop him! Somebody stop him!"

"Natsumi! I think we might have to put our battle on hold!" Roxanne stated. "I'm going to need your help with dealing with whatever this is."

"Right!" Natsumi nodded her head, fully aware of how serious the situation had become.

Her fun Gym battle would have to wait.

"Kelly! What's going on?!" Roxanne questioned, both Gym Leader and Challenger running towards one of the Gym Trainers.

"T-There was an explosion near the main entrance! Frank, Taylor and I went to check it out, a-and there was this masked man with this strange voice! He knocked me down a-and stabbed Frank and Taylor before grabbing one of the fossils!" one of the Gym Trainers, Kelly, exclaimed.

"Jimmy! Go get one of the Nurse Joys from the Pokemon Center! Kelly! Check up on Frank and Taylor, try to stop the bleeding as best as you can! Natsumi! I need you to come with me! We need to find this thief before he gets away!" Roxanne stated.

"Hai, Roxanne-senpai!" Kelly and Jimmy yelled.

"Who could have done something like this?" Natsumi muttered.

'Could it be...?' Roxanne thought, a feeling of dread building up inside her as she began to run, fully intent on finding the thief and assailant.

 **-With Naruto and Lucina-**

"..."

"..."

"... Well?"

"I... thought it'd be... I don't know, bigger?"

"Don't stare directly at it, you'll make it shy."

"But... it's a floating eyeball. What would it be shy about?" Lucina questioned, staring at the glowing, unblinking eyeball in front of her.

"They're supposedly nocturnal. So to see one during the open day is... unprecedented." Naruto stated, looking back and forth between the floating eyeball and the Journal 3 entry.

"And since when are you an expert in the supernatural?" Lucina retorted.

"Since I was eleven." Naruto replied, looking wearily at the floating eyeball. "I will admit though, I had heard of these floating eyeballs only recently."

"It's just... I thought you were joking when you said floating eyeballs." Lucina stated.

"You're not the only one... This just brings up so many questions..." Naruto said.  
"Like what?" Lucina asked.  
"Well for one, if these things - floating eyeballs - are real... what else is? And two... why has it been staring at me the entire time?" Naruto questioned, moving left and right, only for the floating eyeball to... well... eyeball him.

"Hmm... Try moving the book away." Lucina suggested. Naruto complied and began to move the book left and right, only this time the floating eyeball's gaze followed.

"It's after the book?" Naruto mumbled, flipping the book around so that the floating eyeball could see the cover, causing what was quite possibly the strangest reaction Naruto ever expected...

The floating eyeball blinked three times in a row before its pupil darted to the left.

"Now what is it doing?" Lucina queried, the floating eyeball vanishing in an instant and reappearing in the shadow of a nearby tree.

"I think it wants us to follow..." Naruto stated, slowly walking after the floating eyeball.

"Deeper into the forest? Doesn't that sound suspicious to you?" Lucina questioned.

"Yes. Because following a floating eyeball that glows doesn't sound suspicious enough. But following it deeper into a forest does." Naruto deadpanned, sarcasm laced heavily in his voice. "Now come on, you're not afraid are you?"

"Of course not!" Lucina exclaimed defiantly, crossing her arms and turning her back on the blond...

Only to come face-to-face, or rather, eye-to-eye with the floating eyeball.

"Eeepp!" Lucina cried out, jumping back at the supernatural sight.

...

"You were saying?" Naruto asked, a cheeky grin on his face.  
"Shut up." Lucina replied, quickly catching up with Naruto and grabbing his hand. "Not. A. Word." she mumbled, turning her head away so the blond wouldn't see her blush.

"Whatever you say, Lucy-chan."

 **-Route 116-**

" _ **Takibi, this is Ryu, do you copy? Over.**_ "  
" **This is Takibi, I copy. Over.** " a compressed, deep and acoustic sounding voice stated, belonging to a mysterious cloaked figure wearing a tan cloak with a hood that concealed most of its body, and a plain white mask.

" _ **What's your status? Over.**_ "

" **Phase One is complete. Over.** "  
" _ **Roger that. Proceed with Phase Two. And remember, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Over and out.**_ "

" **Signing off.** " the cloaked figure stated. " **Now, let's see what we can do to distract them...** "

Chapter End


	5. Chapter 5 - Two Roads

Chapter Start

"Hiya there!" Lucina was, for the third time that day, shocked into silence at the sight before her.

First Naruto stood up for her, then there was the floating eyeball, and now this...

"... Greetings." Naruto dryly said, unable to find any other proper words to use for this kind of situation.

Both the blond and the bluenette's heads were craned down so they could look at the... creature, the floating eyeball lead them to. It was obviously male, but he was no human.

He was extremely short, standing at 1'0" exactly with a long gray beard and obsidian black eyes with crow's feet and liver spots. He wore a teal shirt and pants, black shoes, and a red pointy hat.

"Umm... Not to sound rude, but what are you?" Lucina asked.

"It's okay, my kind hasn't interacted with humans in nearly a millennia." the creature stated.

"You're a gnome." Naruto replied, his eyes glued to a certain page in Journal 3.

* * *

 **"** **GNOMES**

Creature #24

DANGER UNKNOWN

 **Little men of the Hoenn forests.** **"**

 **"** **The typical size of the**

 **common gnome ranges**

 **from ten to twelve**

 **inches, from _ the**

 **hat, _ the _.**

10"

Perhaps the most noteworth and

surprising feature of the unseen gnomes is

the pointy hat. The long, red sharp pointy

hat.

WEAKNESS: leaf blowers ?

 **Pointy hats!** **"**

* * *

That last statement confused Naruto a little, but he had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment.

"Yes. And from the looks of it, you're the current keeper of Journal 3." the gnome retorted, a seemingly nostalgic smile present on his face. "I haven't seen that book in a long, long, _long_ time..."  
"So you know what it is and where it came from?" Naruto questioned, receiving a nod from the gnome.

"I was around when the Journals were first made." the gnome said. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jeff."

"Journals? You mean there are more than one of these things?" Lucina questioned.

"There are three Journals, each containing knowledge about the supernatural." Jeff replied, looking over his shoulder as if something were to attack him at any moment. "Look, I have very little time to speak. The fact that Journal 3 has resurfaced means that the others won't be far behind."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Beware the Cipher! And the Blind Eye! They will aid you if you show them the Journal!" Jeff exclaimed frantically before he began to run. "I have to go! Before they find me! And find you! RUN! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!"

"Wait a minute-!" Lucina started, letting out a small cry of surprise when Naruto grabbed her hand and began to run in the opposite direction Jeff was going.

"Come on!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling the bluenette along and away from where they once stood.

"What are you doing?! What happened to all that 'Quest for intellectual pursuit' bullshit?!" Lucina yelled.  
"It's a sixth sense of mine! Something was going to arrive there!" Naruto stated.

"*GRAAAAAOOOOOOHHH*!" Lucina's eyes widened when the bestial cry of something she knew was _not_ a Pokemon shook the forest, causing her to run even faster than before and grip Naruto's hand even tighter.

Whatever that thing was, she didn't want to find out...

Or have it find them.

 **-With Jeff-**

The elder gnome let out strained breaths as he ran through the green vegetation.

'Damn these small legs!' Jeff mentally cursed, feeling the ground shake as the creature pursuing him came closer and closer.

"*WHOOSH*!" Jeff was swept off his feet, the feeling of weightlessness foreign to the gnome. The sensation was gone just as fast as it came, and soon enough obsidian black orbs met red pupilless eyes that begun to glow yellow.

"*GRAAAAAOOOOOOHHH*!" the creature exclaimed, bellowing at the small creature gripped in its fist.

"... Your tricks will no longer work on me. I have long since come to terms with my greatest fears." Jeff stated calmly.

"*Grrr*..." the creature mumbled.

"To think you would fall so low..." Jeff mumbled.

" **He just chose the right side to be on.** " the familiar gleeful voice caused Jeff's eyes to widen in shock.  
"Y... You..." Jeff managed to get out as the creature's grip tightened.

" **Yes! Me! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's good to see you again, Jeffy-boy! But I'm afraid that this will be the last time that you'll ever see me... or ANYONE!** "

"*SNAP*!" Jeff's now lifeless body dropped unceremoniously to the floor, the final expression frozen on his face being shock.

" **It's a shame, really. Now that blond Uzumaki is close enough to civilization that I can't interfere. But he'll slip up eventually! And by the time he does so, I'll be back to full strength!** "

 **-With Natsumi and Roxanne-**

"There! That's the guy!" Natsumi exclaimed, 'catching' Takibi attempting to escape.

"After him!" Roxanne yelled.

" **Ryu, do you copy? Takibi calling in.** " Takibi stated. " **Phase two has just begun. Your window opens now. Over.** "  
" _ **Copy that, Takibi. Going radio silent. Rendezvous at the extraction point in 0400 hours. Over and out.**_ "

Takibi let out an acoustic sigh, turning to look at the two rapidly approaching Trainers.

" **This is what you're after, right?** " Takibi called out, holding up an amber fossil. " **Come and get it.** "

 **-With Naruto and Lucina-**

"Is it following us?" Lucina questioned, huffing and puffing as the duo slowed down to a halt.

"I... don't think... so..." Naruto replied.

"Good. Now..." Lucina started, finally catching her breath. "What the hell was that?! What kind of mess did you drag me into?!"  
"I don't know and I don't know..." Naruto stated, glancing down at the Journal in his hands. "But whatever it is we've gotten into, it has something to do with this book."

"Then let's get rid of it." Lucina suggested.  
"I can't do that in good conscious. Not with the off chance that it might fall into the wrong hands." Naruto retorted.

"Burn it then."

"This book is about the supernatural, so whose to say that it isn't enchanted or something to protect it from being destroyed? I mean for crying out loud, did you see how old Jeff looked?! It could be tens of hundreds of Arceus knows years old yet it still has only a few tears!"

"Maybe we could... we could..."

"Lucy-chan." Naruto called out, causing the frantic bluenette to stop talking. "The way I see it, we have three options." he stated, holding one finger up. "Option A: we run away to another region - one where these things won't find us hopefully..." Naruto held a second finger up as he sat down at the base of the nearest tree. "Option B: we part ways - you move on and forget all about this while I handle this problem by myself..."

"Naruto-kun..." Lucina mumbled. "Wh... What about option C?"  
"And then there's option C: we go on some long and overly complicated adventure to try to solve this problem... together." Naruto replied, holding up a third finger and averting his gaze from Lucina's own as a tinge of red spread across his cheeks.

"What about your sister?" Lucina questioned.  
"Natsumi and I knew that something like this would happen. We had our own goals that we knew would eventually lead us down different paths." Naruto stated. "S-So... what do you say...?"

 **-With Natsumi and Roxanne-**

"Freeze!" Takibi froze up when the voice of Roxanne called out to the cloaked figure.

" **Okay... here goes nothing...** " Takibi mumbled, swiftly turning around and pulling out a Poke Ball. " **Let's do this, Kuro!** " Out from her Poke Ball came a quadruped, canine Pokemon that stood at 2'00" with short, black fur and a red underbelly and muzzle. its ears and tail were both short and pointed. Two fangs protruded from its upper jaw, and its triangular nose was black. There were white bands on its ankles, and rib-like ridges on its back. It appeared to have a simplistic, stylized skull on its forehead with the eye orbits creating eyebrow patterning above its actual eyes. It also had circular, red paw pads on each of its three-toed paws.

"Houndour!" Kuro exclaimed, howling before getting into a fighting stance.

"Kariu, use Thunder Fang!" "Kokan, use Thunder Punch!" Natsumi and Roxanne called out, both their Pokemon sparking with electricity as they charged forward at Kuro.

" **Protect.** " Takibi called out, a bluish-green force field appearing around Kuro moments before the Thunder Fang and Thunder Punch struck. " **Fire Spin.** " Fast as lightning, the Houndour opened its mouth and released a stream of spinning red-orange fire at Kariu.

"Kariu, counter with Shadow Ball!" Natsumi exclaimed, the Poochyena forming a black ball of energy in front of his mouth and firing directly at the Fire Spin.

" **Kuro, dodge it!** " Takibi exclaimed, the Houndour moving out of the incoming attack's way, missing being hit by a mere inch. Though this in turn caused its Fire Spin to dissipate in the air with no Pokemon to provide the fire needed to maintain the attack.

"Kokan! Attack with Rock Throw!" Roxanne exclaimed, her Pokemon tossing several rocks towards the Houndour.  
" **Counter.** " Takibi said. Kuro's body became outlined in orange, causing the incoming rock projectiles to be sent flying back at Kokan.

"Kariu, use Dark Pulse on the rocks!" Natsumi called out, her Poochyena creating several black-and-purple orbs that shot out at the incoming rocks, each one impacting against a rock and blasting it into smithereens.

" **That's enough, Takibi.** " a new presence made itself known, causing all three Trainers to turn to its source. It was another cloaked figure, similar to Takibi, only this one wore a white mask with blue tear lines running down from the eye holes.

" **Mizu. What are you doing here?!** " Takibi called out, slightly aggravated at the sight of the new cloaked figure.

"Takibi? Mizu?" Natsumi mumbled.

" **This mission has been completed. We have new orders from Ryu herself.** " Mizu stated.

" **I can handle these two!** " Takibi countered.  
" **The Cipher has made a move.** " Mizu replied, causing the first cloaked figure to freeze up.

"What's the Cipher?" Natsumi called out.

" **Come. We're leaving. Now.** " Mizu said, walking up to Takibi and pulling out a strange silver cube with spikes and was glowing orange.

" **And what about these two?** " Takibi questioned, motioning to Natsumi and Roxanne as Kuro returned to its Poke Ball.

" **They will be dealt with swiftly as per procedure.** " Mizu replied, turning towards the two Trainers. " **Until next time.** " And with a flash of orange light, the two cloaked figures disappeared, leaving no trace of them being there in the first place.

...

"Well that was something!" Natsumi stated cheerfully.

"That is the most... strange way I've ever heard a situation like this summarized... And the first time I've ever been in a situation like this." Roxanne stated.

"Same here!" Natsumi retorted.

"To think, there was a new threat that was broiling over that we didn't know about..." Roxanne mumbled. "I have to go inform the League."

"I'm coming with you then!" Natsumi exclaimed.

"What? No! This is serious-"  
"So am I." Roxanne blinked when Natsumi's tone changed from carefree to seriousness. "These people, whoever they are, are obviously well-organized. Plus they mentioned that we would be 'dealt with as per procedure,' meaning that we would be safer in numbers rather than alone."

"That was... surprisingly logical." Roxanne said.

"Which is why we have to go and take down whatever this shadow organization is!" Natsumi stated, pumping her fist up in the air excitedly.  
"Ah, there it is." Roxanne deadpanned.

"Think about it! The two of us! Gaining friends and allies along the way as we bring these people to justice and have an epic adventure!" Natsumi exclaimed, stars in her eyes as she began daydreaming of her potential escapades.

"This has to be the worst idea... _ever_..." Roxanne started, a grin spreading across her face.

 **-With Naruto and Lucina-**

"-But you can count me in."

"Wait - what?"

"I said you can count me in. Is there a problem with that?" Lucina questioned.

"W-Well I can't really guarantee your safety-" "Then you'll just have to protect the princess then, ne?" Both the blond and the bluenette blushed at the implications of the latter's statement.

"I... guess I could teach you a few things about self-defense..." Naruto mumbled. He reached into his backpack, pulled out three objects and stood up.

"Are those...?" Lucina started.  
"Yep. Two Staryu & Weedle Heat Treated Collapsible Batons." Naruto stated, grabbing one of the cylinder-like objects and flicking his wrist, causing a steel telescopic rod to pop out, making the metal stick grow from 6" to 24". "Easy to use and less conspicuous than a bulky night stick, perfectly legal for a civilian to have on their person." he finished, collapsing the baton and picking up the third object. "Taser M26C with a laser sight in black coloration. It also has a fixed sight and Neuro Muscular Incapacitation. This baby can supposedly put a stop to even a Gyrados. There's a safety switch, mind you, so you don't fire off an accidental discharge, and even if the probe misses target, it works as a regular 50,000-volt contact stun gun. It has a 5-second cycle time with 15-20 pulses per second and a Central Information Display to indicate power level, spark duration, status data, and illumination selector."

"Wait a minute! I can understand the collapsible batons, but how the hell did you get a stun gun?!" Lucina queried.  
"First of all, it's a taser _and_ a stun gun." Naruto said. "And two... yes."

"Yes?! How does that answer how you got a stun gu - taser?!" the bluenette comically yelled.  
"I just have one, let's not argue the means of how I got it!" Naruto exclaimed, whistling innocently. "Here, catch." he said, tossing the taser at Lucina.

"What am I supposed to do with this?!" Lucina asked, nervously fumbling with the weapon in her hands.  
"Use it sparingly, only in desperate situations." Naruto stated.

"So you're going to trust me with a gun..."  
"Technically a taser, but yes."

"Just like that?"  
"Mhhmm."  
"Really?"  
"Really."

...

"Wow. What if I were to shoot you with it right now?" Lucina questioned, aiming the taser at her blond companion.  
"It has limited ammunition and you left the safety on." Naruto deadpanned, causing the bluenette to fumble with the weapon in her hands in search of the safety. "The switch on the left." he stated. Seconds later, a 'click!' sound was heard from the weapon.

"... Shut up."  
"Whatever you say, partner."

 **-Unknown Location-**

Nagato breathed heavily, his legs having gave out on him long ago and his arms barely supporting his body's weight. Tendou was not looking any better either, his body littered with small cuts and bruises.

" **I must say, Nagato-chan, nobody has pushed me this far since a little pine tree and his friends.** "

'Fuck... you...' Nagato mouthed, his voice so hoarse from screaming it made him practically a mute.

" **Now, now, Nagato-chan. No need for profanities. You did well against one of my fragments.** " Nagato's eyes widened in shock. " **Oh come on, did you really think that I would focus ALL of my attention on just you?** "

"But... how...?" Nagato squeaked out, wincing in pain as he spoke.

" **Oh let's just say...** "

" **I made a deal of a lifetime.** "

" **I was about to say that!** "  
" **So was I! AHAHAHAHAHA!** "

" **Well, Nagato-chan. We'll see you around when the apocalypse comes to town!** "  
" **Ta ta~!** "

Tears rolled down Nagato's eyes as the creatures vanished.

He... failed.

 **-Route 118-**

"So..." Natsumi started, staring down at Naruto, her brother doing the same. Lucina and Roxanne both stood off to the side to watch the events unfold.

"So..." Naruto muttered.

"I guess this is where our paths diverge..." Naruto and Natsumi said at the same time. The Uzumaki twins blinked when they realized this and began laughing.

"Is this kind of thing normal?" Roxanne whispered to Lucina.  
"I have no clue." Lucina replied.

"Well good luck taking on the Pokemon League! Kick enough ass for the both of us, sis!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Right back at ya! Hope you figure out the mysteries you're searching for!" Natsumi retorted. "Mystery Twins?"  
"Mystery Twins." Naruto replied as he pulled his sister into a small hug. They stayed that way for a few seconds before breaking apart and walking off in opposite directions.

"Wait! Natsumi!"  
"Yes?"

"I almost forgot to give you your grappling hook." Roxanne and Lucina facefaulted as Naruto reached into his backpack and handed a pistol-like grappling device to his redhead sister.

"Thanks!" Natsumi chirped cheerfully before walking away once again.

...

"What the hell was that?!" Lucina exclaimed.

"Huh?" Naruto mumbled.

"What kind of 'goodbye' was that?!" Lucina questioned, causing Naruto to laugh lightheartedly. "What's so funny?"

"Natsumi and I... we don't say goodbyes." Naruto replied.

"So you two just leave wherever you go and whoever you meet without so much as a 'goodbye'?" Lucina questioned, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Our mother had a saying." Naruto began. "She wasn't around a lot when we were kids, and when she was, she could only stay a short time. Seems like she always had somewhere else to be, something important to do. And when she... left, she... wouldn't say goodbye to us." he continued. "Instead, she always told us, 'Never say goodbye.' If you don't say 'goodbye', then you aren't really gone. You... just aren't here right now."

"Your mother... she sounds like a very smart lady." Lucina conceded.

"She was... she really was..." Naruto said, an almost bittersweet smile on his face. "Had terrible taste in men though, from what I've heard."

Lucina giggled a little, realizing that she was a bit more... lively, the past week after meeting Naruto and Natsumi.

And she had a feeling that this was only the beginning...

Chapter End


	6. Chapter 6 - The Path Untaken

Chapter Start

" **Alright, what do we got?** " Takibi called out, walking alongside Mizu as the duo approached a man garbed in a red monk-like robe, the hood pulled up to reveal the symbol of an eye with an 'X' etched through it.

"T-Takibi-sama, Mizu-sama! Ma'ams!" the cloaked man straightened up and saluted the two cloaked figures. "We have a code 187S-"  
" **Speak fucking English. We haven't got all day.** " Mizu interrupted, annoyance present in _her_ voice.

"U-Uhh, well... first degree supernatural homicide..." the man simplified. "We've identified the cause of death to be, not to sound cliché, a lethal neck snap. It appears there was enough damage done to break vertebral bodies C5, C6 and C7, visible bruising around the neck, hell, it even looks like the esophageal muscle was torn in the process as well. It was a recent kill, too."

" **Have you identified the corpse?** " Takibi questioned.

"Yes we have, but..." the man muttered.  
" **But?** " Mizu motioned for the cloaked man to continue.

"We've identified the corpse to be the Elder Jeff." Mizu and Takibi froze up at the name.

" **Elder Jeff... A-Are you sure?** " Mizu questioned.

" **There is no doubt.** " a new, similarly synthetic acoustic voice called out. This figure wore the same cloak as Mizu and Takibi, the only tru difference being that the mask the figure wore had dark purple markings and stood a good eight inches taller than the duo, standing at 5'11". " **I verified the corpse myself.** "  
" **Shiron, I should have known that you would be here.** " Takibi stated, annoyance present in her voice.

" **Were there any witnesses? Any clues as to what did this?** " Mizu asked.

"It was definitely a supernatural creature. We found footprints that were nonhuman, but none of our databases have a match on what creature." the cloaked man stated. "Normally, we'd go to Elder Jeff for this kind of problem, but, well..."

" **What about witnesses?** " Takibi repeated, only to receive her answer the form of a familiar glowing eyeball appearing in the shadows.

"A Category One creature, floating eyeball by the name of... Argos, was it?" the cloaked man turned towards the floating eyeball, receiving a single blink to indicate its answer. "Yeah, Argos."

" **You can understand what it's saying?** " Takibi questioned.

"That's the reason why I'm here. Out of all the members of our group, I am the best translator." the cloaked man replied, turning to Argos as the creature began blinking at a rapid pace. "He says that the creature that killed Jeff was known as a... Gremloblin."

" **Gremloblin?** "

"... Half gremlin, half goblin. He also says..." the cloaked man paused when Argos began blinking at an even faster pace. "... W-What? Could... Could you repeat that again?"  
" **What is it saying?** " Shiron asked.

"I-I-Impossible! That can't be right... can it?" Argos blinked only a single time, causing the cloaked man to sharply gasp for air, stumbling backwards until he slammed into a tree.  
" **What. Is. It. Saying?** " Shiron repeated.

"I... We have to inform Ryu! We have to inform every single member!" the cloaked man exclaimed, nearly running away were it not for Shiron grabbing him.

" **What could be so important for you to act like this?!** " Shiron questioned.

"Argos said... he saw _it_."  
" **It...? Please be more specific.** "  
"He. Saw. Journal 3!"

" **What?!** " was the collective cry of Mizu, Takibi, and Shiron. The cloaked man turned back to Argos as the floating eyeball began rapidly blinking again.

"He says that the owner of Journal 3 was a... blond teenage boy, accompanied by a...'rather rude blue haired teenage girl'?" the cloaked man stated hesitantly. "He's also saying that they might be nearby still!"

" **Then we need to hurry and find them!** " Takibi exclaimed.

" **You know, you're actually pretty damn good at translating what this thing is saying.** "  
"Thank you, Mizu-sama."

" **Just how many languages** _ **do**_ **you know?** "  
"You name it, I've learned to read, write, talk, or translate it."

" **Damn. Just... damn. If you know so many languages, then-** "  
"Why am I here? Don't worry, you aren't the first to ask. As for why, well... I just really like my job: Translating and bringing people together by breaking down language barriers."

" **Well you know what they say, choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.** "  
"And indeed I have. Or my name isn't Butch Flowers."

 **-Rustboro City-**

"So where do we go?" Lucina asked, holding one of Naruto's collapsible batons in her hands and swiping at the air.  
"I'm not sure." Naruto replied, not even bothering to look up from Journal 3 as they continued walking.

"What?! But you have the Journal thing-y!" the bluenette exclaimed, stomping her foot down onto the ground childishly.

"Which is why I'm searching it for anything useful." Naruto retorted. "Anything that can help, really. Jeff said 'Beware the Cipher' and that this 'Blind Eye' would help us."

"And? So what?" Lucina questioned.  
"So this." Naruto replied, showing his bluenette companion the page he was opened to.

* * *

 **"** **The Blind Eye**

W-AT -OES -T _-A-?

C-_'T -E UN-N (SEE NO

EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK

NO EVIL)

? ? ?

* * *

Below the etched-out question marks were various symbols that she couldn't understand, and on the left page there was a drawing of a person wearing a monk-like robe with the hood up and the Blind Eye symbol on the top of the cloth.

"This symbol, the crossed-out eye, is what we can use to identify anything related to the Blind Eye." Naruto stated before he grimaced.  
"What's the matter, Naruto-kun?" Lucina asked.  
"The 'Cipher' isn't mentioned at all. But..." Naruto started, flipping through the pages for a few seconds before stopping. "This is the closest thing I could find..."

* * *

 **"** **Bill Cipher**

Is he watching me?

CAESER

ATBASH

A1Z26

Bill has proven himself to be one of the

friendliest and more trustworthy individuals

that I've ever encountered in my life. What a

guy! I honestly can't trust him more. Not evil

in any way, Bill is a true gentleman.

 **BILL CAN'T BE**  
 **TRUSTED!** **"**

* * *

 **Beware Bill. The most**

 **powerful and dangerous**

 **creature I've ever**

 **encountered. Whatever**

 **you do, never let him**

 **into your mind.** **"**

* * *

 **"** **It is possible to follow**

 **the demon into a**

 **person's mind and**

 **prevent his chaos.**

* * *

 **REFLECTIVES**  
 **THE LADIES**  
 **DOMESTIC**

fig. 4

 **DO NOT SUMMON AT**

 **ALL COSTS!** **"**

* * *

The picture on the left was of a strange creature that resembled a triangle with a lone eye, a bow tie, a top hat, and arms and legs. There were red splatters across the pages, presumably blood, which caused Lucina to involuntary shudder.

"The creature is named Bill Cipher, and everything about it all points to one main fact..." Naruto said.  
"Which is...?" Lucina questioned.  
"Don't trust him." Naruto replied, promptly closing the book and placing it back in his backpack. "But for now, our best bet is to try to find this 'Bind Eye' group."

"Where could that be though?" the bluenette retorted.  
"The Journal says that they're a pretty old group, but nothing about where they're situated. So we just need to look at the oldest towns and cities in the region." Naruto stated. "Oldale Town, Petalburg City, Dewford Town, Slateport City, Mauville City, Stoopolis City, Pacifidlog Town, Lavaridge Town, Fallarbor Town, Lilycove City-"

"Why Lilycove City?" Lucian interrupted.  
"Huh? What do you mean?" the blond questioned. "Lilycove City has at least six potential locations where the Blind Eye could be situated, including the old Team Aqua Hideout."

"But-" "Look, if it makes you feel any better, we won't immediately go to Lilycove. There are plenty of other places where we can investigate first."

"... Fine." Lucina conceded, crossing her arms and accentuating her buxom. "Where to first then?"

"Well the closest places would be Petalburg City and Oldale Town, but Natsumi would be headed that way as well. That makes Fallarbor Town the best place to start out." Naruto replied. "With Meteor Falls nearby, there's no telling what sort of secrets are hidden in those caverns."

"Okay, so which way do we go?" Lucina questioned.

"We should begin to make our way to Route 115." Naruto answered, listing off the item categories they needed on his fingers. "It will probably be nightfall by the time we reach Meteor Falls, so we'll set up camp there."

"What kind of supplies do we already have?" Lucina asked.

"Let's see..." Naruto mumbled, opening up his backpack and shuffling through its contents. "There's the two collapsible batons, the taser, Journal 3, four Poke Balls, my sister's backup grappling hook, swimtrunks, a box of condoms-" the blond immediately froze up, a stark red blush on his face as his own words finally caught up with his brain.

"..." Lucina opened her mouth to say something, but found the words died on her tongue.

...

"NATSUMI!"

 **-Route 104-**

A certain red haired girl perked up, watching as a few Tailows flew out from the nearby trees, obviously spooked by something that was out of her hearing range.

"Something wrong, Natsumi?" Roxanne questioned.

"No, but I have the sinking feeling that Naruto just found the surprise I packed in his bag." Natsumi grinned.

"What did you leave him?"

"A box of twelve Terrakan Extended Condoms."

"..." Roxanne was stunned to silence, a light dusting of pink across her cheeks. "How... how do you know if they'll fit him?"

"I don't. But I've always had the Devil's luck." Natsumi replied cheekily.

 **-Route 115-**

"Remind me to get revenge on your sister the next time I see her."  
"Get in line, Lucy-chan. I got first dibs." Naruto stated, twirling the second collapsible baton in his hands.

"You know, why did you say that we would get to Meteor Falls by nightfall? It's not even midday." Lucina questioned.

"Because-" "Ha! You walked into my line of sight! Now we must battle!" "... that's why." Naruto finished, sweatdropping as a middle-aged man wearing a white karate gi, a red headband and a black belt charged at him with a Poke Ball in hand.

"Battle me! Come on out, Shinken!" A Machop appeared in a flash of red light. Machop was a humanoid, bipedal Pokemon that had gray skin. There were three brown ridges on top of its head, and it had large red eyes and a relatively flat face. Its chest had three, thin, rib-like stripes on either side. Its feet appeared to have no toes, while its hands had five fingers. It also had a short, stubby tail.

"*Sigh* Come on out, Kurama."

"Machop!"  
"Shinken, use-" "Extrasensory, Kurama." The poor Machop had no time to react as the rainbow-colored beam struck it, knocking it unconscious before it even hit the ground. "Return." Naruto muttered, Kurama vanishing in a flash of red light.

"I... Wow. Other Trainers aren't that fast." the man mumbled. "Alright, do you take Poke Dollars upfront or can I just transfer them from my credit device?"

"Credit works." Naruto said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his Pokedex. One of the many features of the device that Professor Kagari forgot to mention was that their Pokedexes doubled as multi-function devices. Trainer identification information, electronic Poke Dollar transfers, it was basically a mixture of a phone, an ID, and a wallet.

Did he bother to tell Natsumi though?

... Meh, she'll figure it out. Maybe...

Hopefully.

"By the way, can you point us in the direction of Meteor Falls?" Naruto asked.

"Sure thing." the man replied. "This path should lead you to a tree next to a cliffside. Make a left from there and head onto the beach. Go directly north from there until you reach the waters. If your timing is right, you'll encounter a newish RT and a fellow friend of mine."  
"RT?" Lucina questioned.  
"It's short for Route Trainer. That's what we call people like myself who train their Pokemon on specific Routes for a long time." the man stated. "I'm getting off topic - hopefully if you meet up with a girl named Cyndy, tell her Ben sent you and she'll understand. You're gonna have to do a bit of swimming, but you'll be on the other side of the cliff and the cave entrance to Meteor Falls will be simple to find."

"Alright, thank you!" Naruto said, bowing slightly to show his appreciation.

"By the way, why are you two going off to Meteor Falls?" the man questioned.  
"Oh, no reason in particular. Exploring the caverns, finding and catching new Pokemon possibly." Naruto replied, not noticing the sly smile creep onto the man's face.

"I see... You two remembered to bring protection, right?" Naruto and Lucina became flustered, sputtering as they tried to deny the former's double entendre.

"I-I-It's not like that!" Lucina exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously.

"Mhmm~" the man hummed teasingly. "Good luck you two~! Bwahahahaha!" And with that, the man ran off, laughing like a madman as he did so.

...

"*Sigh* L... Let's get moving."

 **-Route 116-**

" _ **I see... This is troubling news.**_ "

" **I thought the resurfacing of a Journal would be good news.** " Mizu commented, communicating with Ryu over a secure frequency alongside Takibi.

" _ **In retrospect, every time a Journal showed up on our radar, we sustained heavy casualties on our own side and with civilian bystanders - all for a chance to obtain that Journal. Need I remind you two that we lost Journal 1 and barely escaped with Journal 2? Or that our enemy is gaining power with each passing day?**_ "

" **... *Sigh* What are you orders, ma'am?** "

" _ **Track down the current holder of Journal 3 and bring them back to HQ.**_ "

" **And if they don't comply?** " Takibi questioned.

" _ **Eliminate them.**_ " the two cloaked females flinched at the response. " _ **Understood?**_ "

" **... Understood.** "

 **-Route 115-**

Naruto and Lucina swiftly made their way down the path Ben told them, arriving at the beachfront with good timing. The sun was high in the sky, and not a cloud was in sight. But...

"Where is this 'Cyndy'?!" Lucina demanded, pacing around in a circle in the soft sands.

"I don't know." Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders before placing his backpack down on the ground and pulling out his two Poke Balls. "Come on out, Kurama, Shunko."

"Eevee!/Vulpix!" The shiny Eevee and Vulpix cried out, eager to stretch their legs and be outside the confines of a Poke Ball.

"Why not let out your Pokemon too? Now's the best time if any to take a break." Naruto suggested.

"A break?" Lucina questioned, the concept foreign in her mind.  
"You know, relaxing. You... do know what relaxing is, right?" Naruto retorted.  
"Humph! Of course I know what re... lax-ing... is..." Lucina replied, her face red in embarrassment as the sand she was standing on suddenly became very interesting.

"..." Naruto tried his best to remain silent, but he quickly began to crack up, his laughter growing louder with each passing second.

"Shut up! Come on out, Falchion." Lucina exclaimed, pressing the button on her Poke Ball and releasing the Riolu.

"Riolu!" Falchion exclaimed, getting into a fighting stance automatically.  
"Eev?" the Riolu momentarily froze up, his eyes scanning the area in confusion.

"... Rio?"  
"Vul. Vulpix Vul Vulpix."  
"Ri-o-lu? Rio, Riolu?"

"Vee!"

"We're not battling, Falchion. We are... re-lax-ing." Lucina stated, physically straining her mouth muscles as she said the last word.

"Yep!" Naruto chirped, unzipping his hoodie before opening up his backpack, rummaging through until he found what he was looking for.

"W-What are you doing!?" Lucina exclaimed.  
"Huh?" Naruto muttered, clenching his shirt in one hand and swimtrunks in the other, the former halfway peeled off his chest, slick with sweat from the heat.

"Why are you taking your s-shirt off?!" the bluenette stuttered, steam shooting out her ears as her blush went from light dusting to supernova.

"It's hot, probably in the mid-nineties. I'd rather not pass out from heat exhaustion." Naruto replied, discarding the black cloth on top of his jacket. "I'll be right back." he said, walking off towards a nearby rock formation.

Lucina huffed in exasperation, turning her head to the side to avoid looking at her blond haired companion...

Only to come face-to-face with curious black eyes.

...

"Wha!" Lucina exclaimed in surprise, falling backwards onto the hot sand.

"Oh! Sorry! I was just a bit curious. I don't see too many new faces here often. Heh... heh..." In front of Lucina was a young woman who appeared just a little bit older than her and stood at 5'3" with straight, black hair that went down to her butt, and light skin tone. She wore a pair of round, thin-frame black glasses, a striped jade shirt, a purple skirt, black stud earrings, and a pink backpack.

The bluenette hated to admit it, but this girl had a nice toned rear, more fine than her own. Of course, she did have a larger bust compared to the glasses wearing girl, she had that going for her...

The score was 1-1 at first glance.

"Umm... Who are you?" Lucina asked.

"Good question." the girls turned to the side and looked away just as quickly. Naruto held his pants, boxers and hat in one hand, having changed into a pair of navy blue boardshorts. But that wasn't why the two girls looked away...

Naruto was by no means a body builder, yet he was in no way scrawny either. Both girls would be lying if they said he wasn't somewhat handsome.

The glasses-wearing girl faked a cough before adjusting her glasses as they drooped down.

"Where are my manners! My name is Cyndy Chiu, but everybody calls me Candy!"

Chapter End


	7. Chapter 7 - New Travelers

Chapter Start

"Cyndy you say?" Naruto questioned. "We were actually looking for you."  
"Oh? What for?" Candy questioned.

"We need help getting to Meteor Falls and Ben said you'd be able to help." Naruto stated.

"Ben... Ben... middle-aged man? Wears a karate gi?" Candy queried, stroking her chin as she pondered the name.

"Yep." Naruto replied.

"So can you help us?" Lucina asked.

"Yes. But only if you can defeat me in a Pokemon battle, one-on-one, first to land a solid hit wins." Candy stated, pulling out a Poke Ball from... somewhere? "Let's do this, Meiyo!"

In a flash of red light, a yellow, bipedal, mustelid-like Pokemon that stood at 2'11" appeared. It had round ears, red eyes, and a pink nose with a whisker on each side. Its red arms looked similar to flared sleeves, and the paws were yellow. Its chest had a small red band, and its pelt piles around its thighs resembled a tunic or robe. Its legs were red, and its yellow tail was also tipped red.

"Mienfoo!" the Pokemon exclaimed.

"A Mienfoo, eh?" Naruto mumbled, turning to Shunko and Kurama.

"Vul?" Kurama questioned.  
"Vee. Eevee Eev Eev." Shunko shook his head 'no', gesturing forward with his paws at the Fighting-type Pokemon.

"Pix. Vul Vulpix." Kurama sighed, stepping forward in front of his Trainer and getting into a fighting stance.

"I guess Kurama will be fighting then." Naruto stated. "You ready?"

"Bring it on!" Candy exclaimed. "Meiyo, use Meditate." The Mienfoo sat on the ground and, as the move's name implied, began to meditate. Its body became outlined in white as it 'hummed'.

"Kurama, use Extrasensory!" Naruto exclaimed, a rainbow beam shooting out of Kurama's mouth towards Meiyo.

"Detect! Now!" Meiyo's eyes snapped open, glowing a stark green color as it strafed to the right moments before the Extrasensory hit.  
"Will-O-Wisp!" Naruto yelled, pink, light blue, and dark blue fireballs shooting towards the Mienfoo.

"Use Bounce and Focus Punch, Meiyo!" Candy shouted, her Pokemon leaping into the air as its paw lit up with a white energy.

"Shit! Kurama, Safeguard!" Naruto said, a familiar light blue barrier surrounding his Vulpix. Meiyo's Focus Punch slammed into the barrier, creating sparks of energy as the two forces clashed against one another, resulting in a small explosion that created a smokescreen.

"Keep pushing, Meiyo!"  
"Substitute, Kurama! Then Zen Headbutt!" Candy and Meiyo's eyes widened as Kurama vanished in a puff of white smoke, a Poke Doll in his place as he reappeared a few feet above the Mienfoo. The top of his head became enveloped in a blue energy as he charged forward, slamming his cranium into Meiyo.

"Meiyo!" Candy exclaimed, watching as her Pokemon landed into the soft sand below. "Are you alright?" she asked, rushing over to her fallen Pokemon.  
"Mien." Meiyo replied, slightly injured but still conscious.

"I guess that means I win." Naruto stated, walking over towards the glasses wearing girl and extending his hand. "Good battle. You fought well."  
"Thanks. You too..." Candy said, blushing slightly as she took the offering hand...

Something that did not go unnoticed by Lucina, who was silently fuming at the sight.

'Why am I acting this way? I don't even like him like that...' Lucina thought.

"So you need help getting over to Meteor Falls, ne?" Candy questioned. "I keep my word, so I'll help you two out."

"Sweet! Then-" "*Grrrrrrr*!" Naruto was interrupted when a growling sound was heard. Everyone looked around in confusion, except for Naruto. The blond laughed a little as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"What was that?" Lucina asked.  
"My stomach..." Naruto replied.

"You mean to say-" " ***Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*!** "

...

"... Shut up." Lucina mumbled, her face flushed in embarrassment as she held her own growling stomach.

"Didn't say anything~" Naruto retorted in a sing-song voice, causing Candy to giggle.

"B-Baka..." Lucina muttered under her breath.

"It's about lunchtime anyways." Naruto stated, walking over to his bag and rummaging through until he found his Pokedex.

"Is that a Kalos model Pokedex?" Candy questioned, looking over Naruto's shoulder at the device he held.

"Yep! Has nearly everything, which thankfully includes a mobile food service app." Naruto replied.  
"Really? I was going to get one, but I chose the PokeNav 6 Plus instead." Candy stated, a sly smirk on her face hidden from Naruto, but not from Lucina.

The bluenette, on the other hand, had a dark aura spiking around her that went unnoticed by Naruto. Somehow, Candy had maneuvered her arms to wrap around her blond companion and into a hug, pressing her buxom into Naruto's back.

"Alrighty! I've placed my order. You guys pick what you want from the list and order that. Lunch is on me." Naruto said, speaking in a slightly faster pace as his face went red. "Now if you excuse me, I need to use the bathroom!" And with that, Naruto zoomed away, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake as he ran off to parts unknown.

...

"Well he seems nice. Kind of hot, too. A bit weird, but still hot." Candy stated.

"S-Shut up..." Lucina retorted weakly.

"If you say so~" Candy said in a sing-song voice, gripping the rims of her shirt and pulling the cloth over her head.  
"And what do you think you're doing?" Lucina questioned, watching Candy strip off her skirt as well, revealing a black one-piece swimsuit.

"Relaxing. This is a beach after all." Candy replied, folding her clothes and placing them inside her backpack.  
"I know that! It's just..." Lucina muttered. Suddenly, two slightly wet and cold objects were thrown at her face. She pulled the cold objects away so she could see she was hit with, and immediately blushed in embarrassment. "This is..."  
"Go ahead. I always make sure to bring a spare pair just in case."

"But-"  
"Just do it. I'm sure it'll look good on you."

"What if Naruto-kun comes back before-"  
"He will if you keep _stalling_. Now hurry up!"

 **-Unknown Location-**

" **Hello all~ Welcome to the team meeting!** " a single glowing eye gazed at the twelve cloaked figures that formed a circle.

"Cipher-sama, you honor us with you presence."  
" **That's great! Praise me more!** "  
" **No! Praise** _ **me**_ **more!** " a collective gasp of shock was elicited from all present when the lone glowing eye became two.

" **Don't be ridiculous. We're the same person! They should praise both of us!** "

" **Oh yeah!** "

"... U-Umm, sir - s-sirs... Why did you call this meeting?"  
" **Right, I nearly forgot about that!** "

" **We've got big news people! Big news!** "  
" **Journal 3 is now on the radar!** "

"I see... What are your orders then, sir?"

" **The keeper of Journal 3 is already somewhat aware of us. If we try to approach him it could backfire.** "  
" _ **But**_ **, someone close to him isn't!** "  
" **If we can...** _ **persuade**_ **this person to our side, we can use them against him!** "  
" **Oooh, I like the way you think!** "  
" **Right back at'cha!** "

"You still haven't address the question, Cipher-samas... What. Do. We. Do. With. The. Keeper?"

" **You will do nothing. A direct approach on him will result in nothing but failure.** "  
" **We will handle this matter personally. The rest of you will focus on swaying** _ **her**_ **to our side and chipping away at the Society's forces.** "

" **Understood?** "

"Hai, Cipher-samas!"

...

" **So how exactly are we gonna do this?** "  
" **Well, like I said, we'll be using someone close to him.** "

" **No, not that! I was talking about this whole 'Cipher-samas' thing! I keep getting confused every single time someone calls us that!** "  
" **You too?! I thought I was the only one!** "  
" **We're still the same person, so technically only one person thought of it.** "  
" **True. How about this, I'll be Cipher-1, and you'll be Cipher-2.** "  
" **Why do I have to be Cipher-2?!** "  
" **Because I was the original!** "

" **Alright, fine! I'll be Cipher-2, and** _ **you**_ **can be crummy Cipher-1.** "

" **You're just jealous because I'm Cipher-1.** "  
" **No I'm not!** "  
" **I am you and you are me! Of course you're jealous!** "  
" **Damn right I am!** "

...

" **What were we talking about originally?** "

" **The keeper of Journal 3 and how to deal with him?** "  
" **Oh right, right... Let's go do that now.** "  
" **Let's.** "

 **-Sky Pillar-**

Somewhere off high above the ground, piercing through the clouds themselves, was a lone tower with a triangular shape. The once massive mural painted by the Draconid people had fallen into decay and ruin, though it still stood tall and proud.

At the top of the tower, basking in the harsh sunlight, was a single man.

His shaggy blond hair swayed slightly as a breeze swept by, and his eyes were closed as if in a meditative trance.

" _Don't do it, Yushi!_ "  
" _There's nothing else I can do, Oji-san!_ "

" _ **It seems like you've come to your senses, unlike that senile old man you call your uncle. Now let's make a deal...**_ "

" **Well hello there, Little Flashlight~!** " Cerulean blue orbs snapped open, a mixture of horror and fear spreading across his face at the sound of the rather whimsical layered voice.

"Y-You! You bastard!"  
" **Yes, yes, me! Remember that deal we made? Well, I'm cashing it in!** "  
"No! I won't let you!"

" **What makes you think that** _ **you**_ **have a choice in this matter?** "

"Wha - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggghhhhhhhh!"

...

" **H** e **h** e **h** e **h** e **h** e **h** e **.**. **.** I **t** ' **s** b **e** e **n** s **o** l **o** n **g** s **i** n **c** e **I** ' **v** e **i** n **h** a **b** i **t** e **d** a **h** u **m** a **n** b **o** d **y** -"

"*Slam*!"

" **S** t **i** l **l** n **e** e **d** t **o** w **o** r **k** o **u** t **t** h **e** c **o** n **t** r **o** l **s**. **.**. **H** e **h** e **h** e **!** I **n** e **a** r **l** y **f** o **r** g **o** t **h** o **w** h **i** l **a** r **i** o **u** s **p** a **i** n **i** s **!** "

 **-With Naruto-**

"Phew, that was a close one..." Naruto mumbled, readjusting his swimtrunks to hide his semi-erect friend downstairs as he walked back to his companions.

He knew something like this was an eventuality - hell, it already happened before, but he was wearing his pants then. Hiding a boner with pants was easy, but boardshorts? He'd be caught in an instant and never hear the end of it.

Naruto instantly froze up as soon as Lucina and Candy came into sight, all logical thought processing capabilities leaving his mind in an instant.

"Ohayo, Naruto! What do you think of Lucina's swimsuit?" Candy asked, stifling a small giggle right after she spoke.

"W-Well...?" Lucina called out, her face a beet red color as she averted her gaze from her blond companion. Her clothes were lain in a small pile around her bare feet, and she now wore a light blue bikini.

"Uhh... Uhh..." Naruto mumbled, his face becoming so red that steam began to visibly roll off of him.

"I think he likes it~"  
"I think I broke him."

 **-With Natsumi-**

"Hey Natsumi?"  
"Yeah? What's up?"  
"Do you mind if we... take a break, for a minute or two?"  
"Umm... I guess it's okay. Why?" Natsumi questioned, watching as Roxanne kept looking over her shoulder.

"Because I think we're being followed." Roxanne whispered.

"Hmm... I think I know how to check..." Natsumi mumbled. "HEY! WHOEVER YOU ARE, SHOW YOURSELF IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING US!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"  
"I'M CHECKING TO SEE IF SOMEBODY'S FOLLOWING US!"  
"BY YELLING LIKE A FREAKING EXPLOUD?!"

"WELL YOU'RE DOING IT TOO!"

"Umm... Heya there..." Natsumi and Roxanne went quiet as a new voice made itself heard. Turning towards its source, they found a young woman standing at a diminutive stature of 4'9" with heterochromatic eyes, her left being black and her right being a yellow, almost gold color, pale skin, and blond hair done up in a twin tail hairstyle with black bows and her bangs nearly covering her right eye. She wore an outfit reminiscent of Gothic lolita fashion, with a yellow and black color scheme and a style of dress reminiscent of Victorian era clothing. Her attire consisted of a sleeveless yellow blouse with black frills on the chest and collar and a black ribbon bow hanging from front of the collar. The blouse exposed her midrif, and she wore medium-length yellow armbands on both of her wrists. Along with the blouse, she wore a knee-length skirt fastened with a black belt, and she wore black shoes with white legwarmers.

What really stood out, however, was the slim black top hat she wore on her head. It seemed very suspicious, in Natsumi's mind...

But she wasn't really one to judge on other peoples' fashion choices, considering that she had seen her brother's choices firsthand, after all.

"Oh... hi there!" Natsumi said, her attitude shifting from comical rage to kindness in a snap.

"Sorry to disturb, I just heard a loud hullabaloo and decided to check it out." the blond girl stated.

"I guess we were making a lot of noise..." Roxanne muttered.

"Yeah... My name's Natsumi! And this is Roxanne! What's your name?" Natsumi asked.

"Briella... but most people call me Brie." the blond girl replied.  
"Brie, huh? That quite an odd nickname, if I do say so myself." Roxanne commented.

"Meh, it's a shorter way of sayin' my name, so you two can use either one." Brie stated, shrugging her shoulders in an uncaring manner.

"Well, Brie... I hope we can be friends!" Natsumi exclaimed.  
"Sure!" Brie retorted, the enthusiasm in her voice matching the redhead's own. 'Oh, if only you knew...' she thought, a hidden smirk on her face under the guise of a smile.

"..." Roxanne said nothing, her eyes narrowing at the blond girl...

Because for a brief moment, Roxanne thought she saw Brie's one golden eye glow.

Chapter End


	8. Chapter 8 - Meteor Falls Part I

**AN: Just a quick question, any of you readers out there ever tried or heard of the Nuzlocke challenge? It's an interesting concept. I just thought I'd mention that. On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Meteor Falls-**

Meteor Falls was a breathtaking sight, one of the few areas in the Hoenn region that belonged to both humans and nature. Its beauty was on par with places like the Great Lighthouse of Lilycove City and the Aratamari Tree in Stoopolis City, with a rich ancient history that was only recently unearthed, with so many more mysteries hiding beneath the surface...

Yeah, she couldn't resist it. When the opportunity first arose, she immediately left the Sinnoh region to get a chance at studying the cave drawings and analyzing fossils.

Besides, Hikari wasn't the little girl that she first met, she could handle the mantle of responsibility that came with being a Pokemon Champion.

"Are we going the right way?" a blond mop of hair perked up at the sound of a new, foreign voice. Her gray orbs blinked a few times, just to make sure that she actually heard a voice and her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

"How the hell would I know, _you_ ' _re_ the one with the map."

"Why do you two even want to go down here? I thought you guys wanted to get to Fallarbor." That voice sounded familiar to her a little, but she couldn't quite remember where...

"Fallarbor is on our list, but Meteor Falls has more potential."

"Potential for what?"

"For finding what we're looking for." Her breath hitched, taking a sharp intake of air that made a nearly audible 'hiss'.

Whoever these people were, they obviously knew what could be down here.

Were they hired by private collectors? Rich snobs who saw no historical value in artifacts and would toss them away like yesterday's garbage when they got bored with it?

Or maybe they were independent merchants that wanted to sell some old rocks for a pretty fortune.

The scenarios kept getting worse and worse in her mind, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she swore it was a bass drum.

The sounds of footsteps soon grew louder and louder, until they were nearly upon her...

She had to act fast, strike while they weren't expecting it. Grabbing the nearest solid object, her hands gripped the object until her knuckles began to turn white.

The moment finally came upon her after what felt like a lifetime. She jumped out of her hiding spot with a battle cry and slammed the object in her hands on the stranger's cranium.

...

"OW?!" Naruto exclaimed, lying on his back as he applied pressure to the top of his head.

"Oh my Arceus! I'm so sorry!" the woman exclaimed.  
"What the hell is your problem?! Why did you do that?!" Lucina questioned, kneeling down and doing her best to tend to Naruto's wound.

"What was I thinking?" the woman mumbled to herself.  
"What the hell did you hit me with?! A brick?!" Naruto asked, attempting to sit up, only to wince in pain and fall back down. "Gah!"  
"Naruto-kun!" Lucina exclaimed, placing the blond's hand in her own.

"Kid, how many fingers am I holding up?" the woman asked, holding up three fingers in front of Naruto's face.  
"Uhh... f... four?" Naruto muttered, rapidly blinking his eyes as he began seeing flashes of light.

"I think he might have a concussion!" Candy stated. "Do either of you have a Pokemon that can make ice?"

"Come on out, Tenkaten!" the woman exclaimed, tossing out one of her Poke Balls.

"Glaceon!" a quadruped, mammalian creature covered in light-blue fur appeared in a flash of red light. It had long, pointed ears, dark eyes, a small nose, two dark blue, rhombus-shaped markings on its back, and the tip of its tail and feet were the same shade of blue. It appeared to be wearing a teal tuque on its head and it had two teal dangles, one on each side of its head.

"Tenkaten, I need you to make some ice, please." the woman asked, receiving a curt nod from the Ice-type Pokemon before it began to conjure up a small amount of ice. She quickly tore off one of her sleeves, wrapping the ice until it was fully covered and pressing it onto Naruto's head gently.

"Arceus, what were you thinking?! Attacking someone like that!" Lucina exclaimed, causing Naruto to groan.

"I'm sorry! I thought you guys were tomb raiders!" the woman said.

"Tomb raiders?!" Naruto exclaimed, placing a hand over his eyes in an attempt to stave off the flashes he saw. "We were just - ghhh!"

"Don't put any unnecessary strain on yourself, Naruto." Candy said, turning to Lucina. "Whatever it is you two came down here for will be up to you alone, Lucina. It doesn't look like Naruto will be going anywhere anytime soon."

"But-" "It's fine, Lucina..." Naruto interrupted the bluenette. "Y... You know what to look for... I... I don't... think I'm in... any condition right now to..."

"Give him an hour to recuperate, I'll watch to see if he gets any better before then." Candy stated.

"I... fine." Lucina conceded. "I'll need a guide through these caves, however..."

"I've been down here for weeks now. I know it well for the most part." the woman stated. "It's the least I can do to make up for this."

"Very well. What's your name?" Lucina asked.

"Cynthia. Cynthia Platinum."

 **-Southern Island-**

"Brendan Emerald." Dark grey orbs blinked at the new voice.

"May Birch... It's been a while." Brendan mumbled, turning to face his first rival, May Birch, daughter of the now retired Professor Birch of the Hoenn region.

She had grown into quite the beautiful woman over the years. Standing at 5'8" with dark brunette hair that went to the middle of her back and bangs that went past her neck, azure blue eyes and flawless skin, her outfit consisting of a green bandana, a red zip-up sleeveless shirt, black bike shorts, a belt with six notches and six Poke Balls, a small satchel bag and black-and-red themed running shoes.

She wasn't the only one who had changed. Brendan stood at a towering 6'2", steel grey eyes that analyzed every little detail, flat messy light brown hair and slightly tanned skin, he wore a red shirt, over which he donned a short-sleeved, high-collared orange-and-black zip-up shirt, baggy dark gray pants, black shoes, a belt similar to May's, his notorious white-and-green 'Sawadi Kap', as well as a simple silver wedding ring...

They both have changed, both physically and mentally.

"Flowers? Visiting her again, I see..." May stated, causing a bittersweet smile to appear on Brendan's face as he gripped the bouquet of red, white, yellow and purple flowers in his hand.

"I... I was just about to leave." Brendan replied. "And head on my way to pay my respects to _him_..."

"It's... It's hard to believe that ten years have passed since then." May said, noticing the look of guilt cross her old rival's face. "You know he wouldn't have blamed you, Brendan. It wasn't your fault."

"But it was, May! Maybe if I had payed more attention, then-" "Then nothing, Brendan." May interrupted. "You have to stop beating yourself up over this."

"..." Brendan said nothing, bowing his head down to avoid his rival's gaze.

"... *Sigh* Look, Brendan. I've got a Pokemon Contest scouting in a few days, but I've got to get to the town in a few hours." May stated, patting Brendan on the shoulder. "Just... Just remember that you still have people that are concerned about you, alright? Promise me that you won't do anything drastic, please."  
"... I promise..." Brendan replied halfheartedly.

A small smile appeared on May's face, relieved to hear those two words come out of her rival's mouth. Content with their conversation, she pulled out one of her Poke Balls.

"Latias!"

"Come on, Akion. Let's go..."

And with a gust of wind, May had taken off, leaving Brendan alone once more.

"... Latios?"

"Inkion... let's go." Brendan said, taking once last glance at the stone memorial two feet away from him. He suddenly felt a warm liquid on his face. Bringing up his free hand, he wiped away his tears before kneeling down and placing the bouquet in front of the gravestone.

He stood back up and walked away, rubbing his loyal Pokemon affectionately.

"La?"  
"I'm fine, Inkion... I'm just fine..." Brendan stated, glancing back at the gravestone one last time...

* * *

" **Here lies Zinnia Dragneel-Emerald,**

 **Loving Wife, Mother, and Lorekeeper** "

* * *

 **-Meteor Falls-**

"So... what brings you down here, anyways?" Cynthia asked, her flashlight illuminating the treacherous pathway that descended deeper and deeper into the caverns.

"We're looking for triangle symbols or anything related to that." Lucina replied, using her own flashlight to scan the walls for what she was looking for.  
"Triangles, eh? I think I might know something like that..." Cynthia said. "Follow me."

...

"Ugh..." Naruto moaned, attempting to stand up once more.  
"You're very stubborn, I'll give you that." Candy stated, gently pushing the blond back down onto his back.

She never noticed the green smoke sneaking up on them, but Naruto did.

"C... Candy..." Naruto called out.

...

"Ta-daa!" Cynthia exclaimed, shining her flashlight on a cavern mural that depicted a very familiar triangle.

"No way..." Lucina mumbled.  
"Yeah way. This painting, if my estimates are accurate, is nearly five thousand years old, which doesn't make any sense, because the furthest the Draconid people were dated goes back only three thousand years." Cynthia stated.

"But... what about these symbols?" Lucina asked, motioning to the ancient text beside the mural.

"Well..." Cynthia started.

...

" _Apparently, this place is cursed._ "

"What the-" Candy started, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she fell unconscious, the green smoke sailing past her and towards Naruto.

" _Cursed?_ "  
" _Yeah. These symbols are very ancient, and even then I haven't fully translated their meanings. But what I have translated is very biblical in tone, cryptic and symbolic._ "

The blond's eyes widened as the green smoke was forcefully inhaled.

" _This place has... Guardians. Guardians from the spiritual plane of existence. The Draconids apparently looked to them for insight when a strange being plagued them - the triangle creature._ "

Naruto's eyes rolled to the back of his head, fully conscious of what was going on right now.

" _But when the creature vanished, the Guardians became dormant._ "  
" _Dormant?_ "  
" _Dormant, vanished, something along those lines. However... it does say that these Guardians... they required human hosts._ "

His splitting headache from being hit by... whatever it was that he was hit with suddenly vanished, as if it was healed... for a brief moment. And in its place, was the feeling of a mental head-on collision with a truck.

" _H-Human hosts?_ "

" _I haven't deciphered enough to know what exactly they needed them for, but... there are certain prerequisites._ "  
" _Like...?_ "  
" _The symbols over here? They translate to 'The blood of my blood'. And the next line, 'The price is twice'. I just don't understand..._ "

The pain soon died down, the final traces of the green smoke entering Naruto.

" _Oh no..._ "

"What... the fuck... was... that...?" he managed to get out before the sweet embrace of unconsciousness overtook him.

"NARUTO-KUN!"

Chapter End

* * *

 **Post AN: I know this chapter was short, but I want to move the plot along at a more faster pace than what it is right now.**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Ja mata!**

 **-CrimsonKyuubiSage out!**


End file.
